


house of gold

by dos_mierdas



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: (he stands in for Arturo in the series), Bad Decisions, Bank Robbery, Blood and Injury, Brotherly Angst, Cuban Lance (Voltron), Guns, Gunshot Wounds, He's an asshole, Heist, Hostage Situations, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Light Angst, M/M, Minor Character Death, Money Heist AU, Near Death Experiences, OR IS IT, Original Character(s), Orphans, Protective Lance (Voltron), Protective Shiro (Voltron), Sex, Stockholm Syndrome, Threats of Violence, Trans Keith (Voltron), Trans Male Keith (Voltron), Unplanned Pregnancy, his name is Ian, not between main couple
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-28
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2019-12-25 22:17:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 31,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18270338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dos_mierdas/pseuds/dos_mierdas
Summary: When the bullets stopped, a man in a Dali mask and a red jumpsuit pointed a gun at them and told them to walk. Working where he did, he knew this was bound to happen someday, so he stood his ground as Ian scrambled away, glaring at the man and meaning to put up a fight.But his heart stopped at the feeling of the cold gun pressing against his stomach.Never in his life had his mind gone blank so quickly. It had been years since he’d felt terror like the one that consumed him at that moment, blooming into his stomach and lungs like a black flower that started where the barrel of the gun met his skin. He was so angry at the feeling, but it made him sick to think of doing anything but-“Move”Putting his hands on the back of his head, he cursed Ian for his cowardice, cursed the child inside him preventing him from fighting.Keith only hoped it would be over sooner than later.___This is a Money Heist AU. If you haven’t watched it I recommend you do as it is an amazing series and would make it easier to understand this, but can be read without watching.Title from "House of Gold" by Twenty One Pilots





	1. First Day

**Author's Note:**

> If you've watched Money Heist, in this AU Keith is Monica and Lance is Denver. I loved them so much, I felt it would be interesting to see Keith in that position and how he'd handle it.
> 
> There will be changes from the series...

Sterile.

 

Ian had told him he was sterile the very first time they met, leaning over his shoulder like a hawk stalking its prey as he whispered it into his ear. The statement had caught his attention after weeks of suggestive, dumb wordplay and ‘casual’ flirting he’d ignored because Ian was his _boss_ and he wasn’t about to become a walking cliche of a secretary.

 

But Keith was an idiot, and that small comment had flipped a switch in his mind, eliminating consequence and adding profit.

 

So he let himself act like a teenager and fool around with a man in his forties, hiding in bathrooms and meeting in hotels at odd hours of the night. And all he had to do when the guilt started creeping in was close his eyes to avoid the ring glinting golden from the streetlights outside or the neon white of the fabric’s bathroom. The feeling it on his skin had barely faded even after so many months had passed, but it returned tenfold as soon as he’d seen the little plus sign on the predictor shaking up and down on his own ring-less hand.

 

“Whenever you’re around it feels hard to breathe”

 

Fucking _lying_ old man.

 

Sterile. He’d heard it more times than he could remember, used it as an excuse for all his mistakes. Keith hadn’t even thought about the poor wife or the kids, his own selfish thinking sounding so reasonable combined with the man’s reassurances, blaming it all on his cheating nature and not on his enabling. _It’s a one-time thing… It doesn’t mean anything… What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her… I’m sterile, what’s the worst that could happen?_

 

It was supposed to be impossible because Ian was sterile. That and the fact that Keith had been on testosterone for a few years then had him agreeing mindlessly to ditch protection. He’d always been excited at the dirty aspect it added to their fooling around and now…  

 

What was he supposed to do?

 

“Well,” Keith laughed harshly, turning to look at Ian’s face looming behind him but not before looking quickly to the hand on his shoulder, to the ring on his fourth finger. He felt the guilt start eating up his insides quicker. “In nine months I think you’ll find it even harder”

 

At his words, the weight of Ian’s hand disappeared from his skin as if burned, eyes widening before turning around completely and starting to walk away. It was in that moment, as Keith stood and hurried after him, that he felt a heavy weight settle in his chest and realized how much he’d stupidly wished that Ian was happy at the news, that he’d smile and laugh and kiss him as he did sometimes before he was too drunk to even do it right. But the boss’ shoulders only looked tense, posture too forced and voice too cold as Keith tried calling after him and all he got in reply was a biting _go back to work, Mr. Kogane._

 

“Ian!” he finally stressed as they reached the hangar where the new shipment of watermarked paper was coming in, the truck just beginning to pull up as Keith was pulled to the side.

 

“What do you want?”

 

“I want you not to walk the fuck away after I tell you _that_ ,” Keith frowned, shaking his head disbelievingly at his flustered partner. “What, are you just going to act like nothing happened?”

 

“And what should I do then, huh?” Ian snapped back, mocking smile spreading on his face. “Go tell my wife I knocked up my secretary?”

 

“But you…” _I love you so much, so much better than Elizabeth._ “You said…” _I hate her so much, she’s always driving me mad. Look at me, baby. I’d leave that bitch in a second for you, you’re so beautiful…_

 

“That I had problems? Like hell I do,” Ian rolled his eyes, leaning in closer to glare at him. ”I’m married with three kids. _Three_ kids, I may add, that my wife’s gotten _in vitro_ . That-” Ian pointed bitterly down at his stomach, “literally _can’t_ be mine”

 

“Are you implying I’ve fucked someone else?” Keith couldn’t believe it. He knew Ian was an asshole, but even if he was Ian’s affair, he wasn’t-

 

“Well you’re either Shiva, the goddess of fertility,“ Ian mocked, and Keith thought, _please, please don’t say it_ , feeling disgustingly helpless on the other end of his words, wincing at what he knew he was going to say. But his boss didn’t pay any mind to him, just shook his head and sneered. “Or you’re a lying slut”

 

It hurt.

 

Keith would never say it out loud, but hearing him say that after so many long nights hurt like he hadn’t for a long time. It was hard, but he held his ground, thinking maybe the man was just scared, trying desperately to think of a way to make amends. A voice in the back of his head told him he should give up, that he was worth more than this, more than most… but that voice sounded too much like another person he’d allowed himself to lose, and he’d die before following its advice.

 

Even if Ian was being an asshole, Keith couldn’t think to let him go. His life wasn’t exactly top-notch, weekends lonely and workdays exhausting. The affair had brought back a spark to his life, one he hadn’t felt since leaving St. Mary’s, and he’d thought that maybe the plus sign was something to look forward to, that Ian would stay because he couldn’t- no, Keith _wouldn’t_ keep it if he was alone. He couldn’t think of looking at his child in the face and telling him that he’d been abandoned before he was even born. Keith knew what that felt like, and he would never let his own child feel like that for even a second.

 

“Look,” Keith started. “I’m not here to look for your divorce or a fucking paternity test. I came here because it’s also yours and I thought you gave a shit, okay? I think it would be hard, but I also think- I think it’s nice. But if you’re not even willing to try you better tell me before the week’s end, because I _won’t_ do this alone”

 

“What is that supposed to mean?”

 

Keith ignored him, had already turned around to walk away planning on getting the hell out of there and never looking back. But before he had even taken ten steps, Ian’s hand stopped him again, wrapping harshly around his arm like a vice. “What are you going to do?”

 

“None of your fucking business” he spat back, trying to break out of the grip.

 

“Don’t do something you’ll regret later”

 

“Oh,” Keith laughed, raising an eyebrow incredulously at Ian. “So you’re worried about your child now?”

 

“Just tell me what you’re going to-,” but before he could finish, the sound of the truck's door whizzed open with a hiss and screams started to sound all around them, making Keith duck instinctively and Ian cower beside him, hand squeezing his arm so tight he could feel a bruise starting to form. When the bullets stopped, a man in a Dali mask and a red jumpsuit pointed a gun at them and told them to walk. Keith was shocked, but working where he did, he knew this was bound to happen someday, and he was ready. So he stood his ground as Ian scrambled away, glaring as the man came closer to him, meaning to put up a fight.

 

But as the man loomed over him, his heart almost stopped at the feeling of the cold gun pressing against his stomach.

 

Never in his life had his mind gone blank so quickly. It had been _years_ since he’d felt terror like the one that consumed him at that moment, blooming into his stomach and lungs like a black flower that started where the barrel of the gun met his skin. The panic felt cold but familiar, tugged at his heartstrings like little kids playing with balloons. The memory of _him_ came to mind, too. Another lonely kid he’d come to love as a brother but in the end left him with empty promises and monsters under the bed. The loss rhymed with the anger he felt at the threat, but it made him sick to think of doing anything but-

 

“Move”

 

So Keith ignored every instinct suggesting he curl up into a ball protectively and obeyed. Putting his hands on the back of his head, he cursed Ian for his cowardice, cursed the child inside him preventing him from fighting.

 

Keith only hoped it would be over sooner than later.

 

* * *

 

 

 

They had him blindfolded for what felt like hours.

 

Keith had never been a big fan of the dark. It reminded him of the tiny closets he’d been forced into for ‘time outs’ or simple twisted entertainment. As he sat among the crowd of frightened teens and gasping old men, he listened to the man proclaiming himself in charge and had to bite his tongue to hold back his insults. How could he stand there and pretend they weren’t being pointed at with fingers on the trigger of machine guns? When they’d all heard the heavy doors sliding shut and known it would be a long time before any of them would see the sun again?

 

What pissed him off was when he heard the new boss telling a woman to breathe.

 

“How far along are you?” he could almost feel the hands on his own skin, the sound of fabric softly rustling over her belly making him want to curl up into a ball to protect his own again. She told him 8 months, and he could hear the disgusting pleased noise he made at that, a shivering hum that set all his hairs on end and his rage on fire.

 

But he stood quietly, not daring to call attention to himself at the moment, until a young voice with a Spanish accent asked for his phone and passcode. He did so without hesitation, trying to reign in the poison in his voice so he wouldn’t get shot, but when the boy turned to Ian and did the same, his head turned in surprise to hear him protesting, asking why they needed the passcode, and couldn’t help but smile when he got threatened with a bashed-in skull if he didn’t give in. And when Ian said it was 1234 a tiny huff escaped him, thankfully covered as the boy and his companions laughed at the answer too. They were right, his boss looked smart but he was just an asshole, and he was reminded of it when he felt nails biting into his skin and a hiss to stay quiet in his ear.

 

A tug set their hands apart, and he turned his head to the feeling of faint breathing on his cheek.

 

“Is he bothering you?” the sound of the same laughing boy’s voice sounding so genuine stunned him into silence, but he quickly shook his head no. Even at that he could sense that the boy hadn’t moved, lingering close to him before he was called away by another robber.

 

“Blue!” code names then, that was smart. “I need you at the vaults for a second,” something about the voice made his head turn again, body chasing after the sound. What the hell? Muscle memory made him relax for a second before tensing again, chills running down his spine. Why did it sound so familiar?

 

But then the one in charge was talking over all the other voices in the room, urging them to breathe and relax as much as they could considering the situation. For the sake of blending in and passing unnoticed, Keith breathed. As much as he could with the binder over his chest, he breathed, feeling it start to dig into his ribs already, head still reeling at the familiar voice until-

 

“Mister Keith Kogane,” he frowned at his name being called out. “Would you be so kind as to step forward, please?”

 

Because he wasn’t an idiot, he obeyed. There were steps and then a hand, not unlike Ian’s but gentler, was guiding him forwards until he bumped into a table. As soon as he did, the phone started ringing and he felt the gun on his skin again, now settling over his chest.

 

“I need you to tell the nice woman on the phone we’re shut over a technical problem, okay?” He nodded. “Do you feel that on your chest?” He nodded again. “I have no choice but to aim a gun at you. Answer the phone, please”

 

In the second it took him to reach the phone, the ringing seemed to reverberate around the room, filling the silence like a mist. The voice on the other side asked him to pass him to Ian. As calmly as he could with a gun pressed to his heart he apologized and said he wasn’t available right now as he’d done countless times before, trying to transmit as much of a glare at his captor as he could through the blindfold. The woman insisted and he hurried to assure the system was down and that it wasn’t a worry, but after the third time asking for Ian the anger that had been consuming him since his boss had turned his back on him, on their-

 

“Because I don’t know where the fuck he is!” he exploded, almost crushing the phone in his hand. “I don’t know if he’s in the fabric, the museum, the canteen or if he’s taking a fucking shit. It’s not my fucking job!” and he somehow slammed the phone directly onto its place, ending the call abruptly and making a few teens gasp in surprise at his outburst.

 

“An Oscar-deserving performance”

 

The robbers laughed.

 

What the hell had he gotten himself into?

 


	2. Eight Hours

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why was this chapter impossible to write? 
> 
> Next one is a bit longer and better...

“You think you’re fucking Gandhi or something?”

 

Keith hated Ian, he really did. 

 

After they’d been ordered to take the blindfolds off, he found himself standing in a line right in front of the man. He averted his eyes as much as he could, distracting himself by watching the robber from before instead, the one with the Spanish accent the others had called Blue. 

 

But it wasn’t long before Ian was calling attention back to himself, suddenly getting the balls to make what he thought was actually a valid point. 

 

“Let those most vulnerable go, please,” he’d said, making enough eye contact with the boss to pass as brave. “There are elders and teenagers and… pregnant women here”

 

Keith couldn’t help but feel slightly… proud of him? Personally, he had been worrying about the pregnant woman since he’d hear her mention that she was almost 8 months along. The stress of the situation could literally push her into early labor, and with all the talk the boss made about them being important and wanting to keep them safe, for them to trust and obey and that nothing could possibly go wrong, they would surely consider her or the literal teenagers that had been on the school trip at the time of the robbery, wouldn’t they?

 

But Blue just looked about ready to rip Ian a new one when he’d asked, offended at a cowards attempt to play hero.

 

Now that he really considered it, Keith agreed.

 

“Let him be Blue,” the man had brilliant white hair half tied-up, his eyes almost snake-like as he gave orders around, cold and calculated but at the same time somehow sounding as if he was having fun. 

 

As the boss stood beside Blue, Keith couldn’t help but notice how they looked like complete polar opposites. He had been surprised to find the boy actually looked younger than he was and shockingly... normal-looking, considering the situation, with brown hair and blue eyes that sparkled when he laughed.  

 

In the short time Keith had observed the boy, and as he looked at him now, he’d come to the conclusion that this was the last place Blue wanted to be. He noticed him struggling with the tough act, trying to look easy going but instead coming off as tense even as he teased the other robbers and followed the boss’ orders with a wide smile. Noticed the way he rolled his shoulder in a nervous tick and kept looking towards the staircase that led to the vaults worryingly, scratching at his cheek and bouncing on his legs. The gun at his side might as well have become an extension of his right hand, as he didn’t seem to want to take his hand off it. 

 

But even with all of his quiet observance, Keith failed completely to notice the moment the exact same gun he’d been watching so closely suddenly materialized in front of Ian’s face.

 

The hostages around them startled at the sight of it, heads turning and necks bowing at the sight of the metal, but they stopped making noise immediately in fear of causing more trouble for themselves. Keith just watched on curiously as Blue put the gun in Ian’s hand, head tilting disbelievingly when the boy ordered Ian to shoot him. 

 

And then he realized he knew what the boy was doing. Drunk assholes on power trips did it all the time, and Keith had been witness to it multiple times before as those same drunks tried to impress him. Blue was making a show out of making a point, taking out his own gun to threaten Ian into shooting the gun. The only problem was that Keith couldn’t decide if he was proving to the hostages that they were powerless or if  _ Ian _ was powerless despite all of his brave act. 

 

The face Ian made when he pulled the trigger and found it was empty was priceless. Keith thought it was obvious from the start that the gun was empty, but it was funny nonetheless to see the color drain from his face and his ‘heroic’ grimace fall into a quivering frown. 

 

“You can keep it,” Blue laughed and patted his shoulder as the Boss started talking about giving them fake guns in the background. “Come on now, get undressed. I promise not to watch”

 

Shit. He had forgotten about that. 

 

For all the progress Keith had made with his dysphoria, he couldn’t deny it still felt very uncomfortable to undress in front of his whole crew. Or maybe it wasn’t dysphoria but simple shyness, as he noticed the others also avoided eye contact at all costs with the people around them. He was still trying to be as subtle as he could about the undressing, using the discarded shirt to cover his binder as he pulled on the red jumpsuit as quickly as he could. 

 

And even then, Ian was being as annoying as he could, eyes like laser points on his exposed skin as he stared unabashedly at his stomach as if he could see inside it. 

 

Keith was grateful for the few seconds of cover Blue gave him, blocking him from view as he passed to ask for his clothes. 

 

And then they just had to wait.

 

They were ordered to sit in the same lines they were standing in as water and food were passed around.

 

“Keith,” he heard Ian whisper, but pointedly ignored him, trying to chew louder to somehow block out his words. “Keith!”

 

“Shut up,” he whispered back when he was done. “You’re going to get us killed,” he went back to his sandwich, still looking down when-

 

“I need to talk to you,” Christ. Why did the man have to be so dense?

 

“I don’t want to talk to you!” but his whisper got too loud, and it caught the attention of Blue as he walked down between them, winking at Ian before leaning down to tie his boot beside Keith.

 

Blue wasn’t even trying to be sly about it, curious eyes analyzing him as he kneeled, seeming to peer straight into his soul. Keith didn’t let it bother him, instead looking right back with challenging eyes. He even raised an eyebrow, a silent _what the hell are you looking at?_ And Blue had the nerve to smile handsomely, reminding him of all the jock’s in chick-flicks who turned out to be romantics outside of their goofball appearances.

 

Keith would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little charmed by it. 

 

The boy turned to look at Ian for a second before looking back at him, his own eyebrow arching up knowingly. “You don’t like your boss much, do you?”

 

It caught him a little off-guard, but he recovered. “How do you know he’s my boss?” he asked back.

 

Blue smiled again. “I know everything about you. I studied you,” and he sounded so serious about it. It was a little unnerving, but it made sense considering how calculated everything the robbers did was. Of course they knew who their hostages were, this wasn’t a common heist. Or well, as common as heists were.

 

“Not creepy at all,” Keith muttered under his breath, looking away. He wanted to tell Blue exactly where he could shove his studies up, rebellious spirit flaring up and very much sounding like a death wish, but his survival instinct surpassed it. Looking back at Ian (if only to look at anything but at Blue’s intensely blue eyes), he instantly regretted it and settled with the floor when he saw his boss was already looking intensely at him. 

 

“Why didn’t you throw it away?”

 

Keith looked back up to frown at Blue. “What?”

 

“The pregnancy test on your desk,” the boy tilted his head slightly, gesturing at Ian. “Now I’m thinking I know who the daddy is,” Keith didn’t know what to say, but he didn’t avert his gaze as Blue continued. “What’s wrong? He didn’t like the gift?” 

 

“He’s an asshole,” he couldn’t help but snap back. “And he told me he was sterile”

 

Lance swore in what he assumed was Spanish. “He did seem like a jerk,” he confessed to Keith, smiling a little and pulling a small tilt of the lips out of Keith too. Ian’s eyes were still on them, he could  _ feel _ them, and he hoped his boss had heard it, that he had seen the smile Keith returned for the robber that had pointed a gun at him but hadn’t dared to return for his affair of almost a year. 

 

But the moment along with the smile was gone almost as soon as it appeared, Blue’s face suddenly turning serious, appearing older than before somehow. “It’s not easy saying goodbye to a baby. What are you going to do?”

 

Keith chanced another look at Ian as he considered. He hadn’t been just throwing words into the air before, he had been completely serious when he’d told his boss that he wouldn’t do it alone. 

 

All of his childhood had been spent rotting in an orphanage and then struggling out of it, years of abuse and feeling misplaced and like no one wanted him. To this day he didn’t know if his parents died or just didn’t want him, and he didn’t want to bring anyone new into the world that didn’t know who his parents were. He didn’t even know if he wanted a child, or if he even had the money for it. A baby… if he couldn’t be sure that he could properly take care of them or even be alive to do so, there was no way he was risking it

 

But there was another voice in his head. 

 

Those years had been painful, yes, but he also remembered a spark of light, the feeling of family… To this day, the memory was blurry, but he could still see parts of it, parts of a face he didn’t remember. On his best moments, Keith missed it dearly, mourning a forgotten face along with the feeling of comforting, warm arms and encouraging words pulling him out of nightmares as the other kids slept around them. He remembered playing hide and seek and card games, learning to defend himself verbally and physically. 

 

But in his worst moments, Keith cursed him, the boy who’d been with him all those years. The boy who’d made life in the orphanage almost bearable and then abandoned him just like everyone had done before him. He felt like a kid again when those feelings hit him, just like he’d felt every day for years crying on the doorsteps of St. Catherine's and waiting for a hero that would never arrive, like he felt looking out the windows at night when he couldn’t sleep, hoping his brother would come and spook his nightmares away.

 

What if something happened to him? What would become of his child, alone in the world? Maybe he wouldn’t live as horrible a life as Keith thought, maybe he’d get adopted as a baby and live with a wonderful family and grow up to be happy and average or extraordinary. But what if he didn’t? What if he never got adopted, or worse… what if he got adopted by the wrong people? Put in foster care? Keith himself had experienced abuse in the orphanage, but it was nothing compared to the horror stories he’d heard about the foster system. 

 

Keith would die before he wasn’t there to protect his child. And no matter how selfish it sounded, he couldn’t bear to imagine his kid in someone else’s arms, calling someone that wasn’t him his family. Keith was no one, his birth name evaporated from every record, and he existed alone. 

 

A child would be a chance to extend his memory in the world, a chance to be remembered and to be loved… 

 

But Keith couldn’t be so selfish. The odds weren’t in his favor, and the future held too many questions and not enough answers. 

 

And he wasn’t taking any chances on his own blood.

 

“Abort,” his voice was slightly choked, but he was sure of it. It was the only correct option, the only way to spare his child. It would hurt, but it was the right thing to do. Keith could barely take care of himself, anyway, how could he possibly raise a child on his own?

 

When he looked back to see Blue’s answer, the boy was already getting up. He walked away in a hurry, and Keith resisted the urge to follow him, thought he just had something else to do other than listen to his sob story when suddenly Blue turned his face to look back at him. Even if the lights were dim, Keith could see him perfectly, and the boy looked conflicted, the space put between them intentional. A million thoughts seemed to be going through his mind as he looked back at Keith, all with a sheen of sadness over his eyes. 

 

Blue nodded once.

 

And then he was gone.

  
  
  



	3. Second Day

“I'm begging you, please, not to shoot. My name's Keith Kogane. I'm just here to read a statement”

 

Why was he chosen for this again? 

 

It seemed like the universe was just messing with him at this point. First the boss had picked him for his ‘good behavior’ and pulled him along with some others to the basement to put on a Dali mask and hold a fake gun at a wall like that made any sense, a real gun pressed to his back so he wouldn’t even think to do anything stupid. After they heard the drill and started hearing the voices, they’d found out there were actual trigger-happy police officers on the other side well damn ready to  _ shoot _ at them. And still, Keith had been the perfect little hostage and only shifted in place in an attempt to get rid of the absolute fear for their lives it brought him, ready to bolt out of the room just before feeling the gun shift lower. 

 

Had they figured out he was pregnant yet? Is that why everyone seemed to know exactly what to do to get him to sit still? 

 

Maybe that’s why he was here now.

 

“I'm speaking on behalf of the robbers. We're 67 hostages, all of us in perfect health and well cared of. There are no victims or wounded”

 

Because he had more than enough reasons not to move, the consequences of his actions higher and therefore more reliable to the robbers. Which is why he was woken up and kindly asked for a ‘simple favor’, which apparently involved stuttering through a written statement as he was pointed at by more rifles. Not counting the megaphone held to his mouth that worked like a metaphorical gun too. 

 

But  _ would _ the robbers shoot him if he tried to run? He didn’t think so… he’d been watching the rest of them as they worked around him. 

 

“We're all dressed alike and it's impossible to tell us from the robbers, so any attempts of assault could cost the lives of innocent victims”

 

So far he had identified 7 of them. There was the boss, of course. He was easy to keep track of because his codename was also Boss, his confidence fulfilled the role perfectly and the shock of white hair on his head was impossible to miss even if he wanted to. There were a brother and sister that looked close to identical except for the glasses the girl had and the brothers longer hair. They had been the ones to ‘accidentally’ almost kill an officer outside the first day. Keith knew because he’d overheard the commotion, heard the girls anguished cries at what she’d thought was her dead sibling and the others yelling around her at how she’d almost fucked up, berating her for making a stupid and avoidable mistake.

 

“We offer our deepest condolences to the family of the wounded police officer and pray for his full recovery, as we did not intend to wound him or any others in any way”

 

Then Keith had noticed the second in charge. She was a pretty woman who never stopped looking serious except for when Blue flirted with her, which would pull a smile out of her as she’d punch his arm in a friendly but stern manner. Keith supposed the white hair was meant as an easy way to identify themselves to the hostages, as she had the same silver hair spilling is easy waves over her shoulders. All he’d gotten was glimpses of the other two, and he’d managed to learn that they were Russian or something, as they mostly kept to themselves and had entire conversations that were completely indecipherable. They looked the least trustworthy, and Keith knew better than to stare too long. They actually looked like they’d strangle him in his sleep if they could get a dollar out of it. 

 

Those were all that he’d seen apart from Blue, but he knew for a fact there was one more he hadn’t seen yet. Keith knew because he hadn’t heard the familiar voice again, was actually straining to try and catch it from wherever he was, but he had yet to make a reappearance. 

 

“We don’t intend to use violence for any means, so to the families of the hostages: we swear no harm will come to your fathers, mothers, siblings and children. Consider them under our protection”

 

Keith could see the men with the rifles shifting, listening to commands coming over their walkie-talkies, steadying their scopes so the tiny red dot was right over the Boss’ head beside him. The man had threatened to shoot him if he said anything that wasn’t on the paper, but he didn’t believe him. Keith wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, but he knew what they were doing. They wanted to be seen as robin-hoods by the country as they weren’t technically stealing from anyone, creating controversy and support of their cause. He wasn’t getting shot in front of hundreds of witnesses anytime soon but… 

 

Would the  _ police _ shoot? And even if they were pointing at Boss, could they miss? 

 

That had every thought of escape evaporating from his mind. 

 

The logical part of his mind screamed that of course they wouldn’t shoot, and if they did they couldn’t miss, being the trained professionals they were. But the protective streak for the life inside him had taken over his senses, rebelling at the thought of risking it, thinking so much of the details the big picture stopped making sense whatsoever.

 

_ What if they kill me? What if I make a run for it? What if it’s safer inside? What if I take the gun and kill them? _

 

The stupid fetus was going to get them both killed.

 

In the end, no one did anything. The police didn’t shoot and as soon as he was done with the speech, Boss ushered him back inside and back to his line like nothing had happened. 

 

“As long as you don’t trick me or communicate with the outside, everything will be fine. I’ll protect you,” Boss was saying once they were settled again. Blue was standing right in front of him with hard eyes, the million questions from their conversation the night before still swirling in them. Keith looked straight at him, refusing to cower from the gaze as the Boss went on about giving them tasks so they wouldn’t get depressed. 

 

Keith only turned his head and paid attention when he started messing with Ian again, teasing him about if he knew anything about home improvement. Ian lied and said he didn’t because he was an idiot. Keith knew for a fact how strong he was for a man his age, and he’d even heard him talking about fixing his house up for whatever reasons before. 

 

As soon as Boss got bored of him, he went to stand over a panicking woman. Keith was afraid for a second he’d cause her a heart attack by teasing her, but was surprised when he offered her an anxiolytic. And then the other hostages started speaking up, asking for medicine and vitamins, insulin for diabetics… 

 

“Anyone else?”

 

Keith took his chance. 

 

“Me,” Keith didn’t cower from the Boss’ eyes as he stalked towards him, looking him up and down as if asking  _ what the hell do you need medication for? _ “I'd like to ask for an abortion pill”

 

Boss looked at him with narrowed eyes. “Are you-” but before he could finish the  _ are you joking _ Keith had expected, the woman with white hair came over and whispered a quick  _ that’s Keith _ in his ear, and the man’s eyes cleared. Apparently they’d  _ all _ studied the hostages and their… conditions. 

 

“You said you don't know how many days we'll be here,” Keith continued. He could feel eyes on him but that was to be expected. Not everyone in the workplace knew, it was none of their business. But he guessed it was Ian’s gaze that was burning into the side of his face. “I'd like to sort this out as soon as possible”

 

Boss seemed to consider it for a second before nodding. “You'll get it today”

 

Keith stepped back into line. When he raised his eyes he swallowed nervously at what he saw. Blue was looking at him with unreadable eyes, expression so intense his jaw was clenched tightly, the muscles in his neck straining with the force of it.

 

Looking down, he tried his hardest to swallow the shame he wasn’t supposed to feel.

 

Blue’s eyes were on him until he was called away.

 

It didn’t pass.

  
  


“Are you really going to abort?”

 

Ian was taken away for relatively blissful hours. 

 

And then Ian had to fuck with his peace and chose to sit down next to him when he was brought back. 

 

What did he do to deserve this situation?

 

Keith took the sandwich and the water bottle but didn’t answer.

 

“Well, are you?” Ian insisted, face getting close to his. He smelled like sweat. And like his deodorant had run out.

 

Disgusting.

 

“You don’t get to make demands after you lied to me,” Keith hissed back but didn’t turn his head. “The only reason I agreed to this in the first place was that you told me you were sterile,” Ian was quiet at his words. He could tell his face was still set in that demanding scowl he knew so well. “And I’m supposed to be the lying slut after that?”

 

“I’m sorry I called you that, okay?” Ian rushed out like it pained him to do so. “I was just shocked and… I’ve never been brave, alright?” Keith turned his head a little at that. Ian sounded… regretful? What the hell was he on about? “I’ve always done everything for others,” lie. “I never think about myself,” also a lie. “And now surrounded by guns and bullets… I’ve realized what I want,” a pause. “I want  _ you _ , Keith”

 

That got him to turn his head completely. “What the hell are you talking about?”

 

“Me and you,” Ian smiled. He was sweaty and looked like he’d gone through hell and back and he smiled at Keith like a starving man looked at an oasis: completely desperate. 

 

“No,” Keith shook his head. “I don’t want to hear it”

 

“I love you, Keith,” fuck. It hurt. It hurt more than he wanted to admit, but he wouldn’t give in. 

 

“No you fucking don’t”

 

“I want you to keep the baby-”

 

“Stop it,” he made to stand up but Ian held onto his arm, grip unforgiving.

 

“I want us to be a family”

 

A family. 

 

First it was just an affair and then it was true love and it was family? What the hell was he thinking? Family didn’t do this. Or at least he didn’t think they did. When the consequences for their stupid actions bloomed into a responsibility Ian had turned his back on Keith and walked away. And when forced to deal with it called him a liar and a slut. And now he wanted them to be a family? 

 

Keith wasn’t going to lie and say he had no feelings left for Ian, but whatever he had felt yesterday and made him reconsider keeping it had been clouded over by anger at the panic in Ian’s face and his insensitive words. He’d wanted to be prepared for this, for the opportunity of someone he liked abandoning him, and had already begun to process it. But Keith had never had to deal with an asshole in his life trying to make amends, and the added factors to the situation weren’t making his decision easy. 

 

This was something that took  _ time _ , but Ian wasn’t giving him any. He was demanding and reckless and his hand was on the same fucking spot from before and it  _ hurt _ . The way he was speaking made it sound as if they were close to death and it made his gut twist and his nerves stand on alert to think he was in anything but perfect safety. 

 

It was making his head spin. 

 

“If we get out-”

 

“If?” 

 

“They’re making us dig a tunnel,” Ian leaned in further. “They’re loaded with explosives and gas. We have to call the police or we’ll all die”

 

Keith couldn’t quite manage to breathe. Every signal in his brain was suddenly screaming for danger. 

 

Boss was shouting for them all to stand up. 

 

“You have to call the police”

 

“What?” 

 

Blue was coming towards him. He looked concerned. Keith could only look at the gun in his hands.

 

_ Danger. Danger. Danger.  _

 

“There’s a phone in the pocket of my coat,” Ian was saying quickly. “You have to get it”

 

Boss was talking. Something about a hero. Something about contacting the police and  _ bravo _ . Was he talking about him? How did they know? They’d only just talked about it. There was no way-

 

“I’m giving you a chance to step forward”

 

Should he do it? If he did it would his life be spared?

 

God, he had to get himself under control.

 

Keith started to breathe. 5 in, hold 4, 5 out. Just like he’d done all of his life to calm down. Just like his brother had taught him. He was so focused on calming down he didn’t notice when Blue stood in his space, a pained face in place as he started dragging him from the line next to a man half-undressed and losing clothes quickly. The Russian guy was pulling at his clothes, and just as he turned to ask what was going on, Blue started tugging at his jumpsuit. 

 

“What-” Keith stuttered a little as Blue stopped for a second with his hands on the hem of his shirt, hesitating. 

 

“I’m sorry,” the boy muttered, starting to pull it off. But Keith’s stressed body wasn’t having it, and he found himself holding onto Blue’s hands and pleading.

 

“What’s wrong?” he heard the Boss ask off to the side. 

 

“I can’t breathe,” Keith gasped. “I can’t breathe,” as if saying it would bring the air back into his lungs.

 

“I’ll take him with the girls,” Blue told the Boss. 

 

“That’s not what I’ve told you to-”   
  


“He’s pregnant,” Blue snapped, and even through his haze could feel a silence spreading over the room at the defiance in his tone. “He can’t be under so much stress”

 

For a second Keith thought the Boss was going to kill him right there and then for the trouble, or point out that he was swallowing an abortion pill anyways and they didn’t have to take care of the baby. But after a prolonged pause, he must’ve agreed, because Blue started ushering him up the stairs and into a quiet room filled with women.

 

For an hour, he just breathed. 

 

When he finally calmed down enough to look around and realized where he was he almost started to cry. Ian’s office. It was at that exact moment Keith realized. 

 

Fucking  _ Ian _ .

 

The asshole had worked him up on purpose. He hated him for it, realized for a fact that everything he’d said was bullshit. It wasn’t a sudden rush of love that made Ian declare himself to Keith, but a selfish need for survival. And he was such a coward he’d sent him, pregnant and all with the child he supposedly claimed, to do his dirty work. 

 

Ian was an asshole and Keith would never be a victim to his tricks again. 

 

But now that the chance had presented itself to him… 

 

Keith didn’t need anyone to save him. He would save himself if he had to. He’d done it before and he’d do it again.

 

So he stood up and ignored the screaming in his head reeling for him to stand down, took a water bottle and dropped it to take the phone out of the coat pocket as subtly as he could, shoving it between his legs as fast as he could through the open zipper of his jumpsuit. He’d never had a particular history of stealing, but he’d done it once or twice before when it was vital to and he was good at it. 

 

But when he stood back up again there was Blue with the most worried face he’d seen on anyone. 

 

Had he seen?

  
  
  



	4. The Phone

“You should keep it”

 

What the hell had he gotten himself into?

 

When Keith had met Blue’s disappointed eyes, he’d thought the boy was going to drag him outside, demand the phone to be returned and then shoot him right between the eyes without a second thought. From the second he’d finished giving the women the medication until when he’d taken the water bottle from his hands and dragged him outside, all he could think of was that he was going to die and it would be all fucking Ian’s fault. And his. Because Keith was an idiot, believing he could get them all out of there. 

 

And now he was going to die for it.

 

But then Blue had lit a cigarette, and his eyes looked so sad… 

 

This wasn’t about the phone.

 

“You might think what I’m telling you is bullshit. But please listen to me, okay?” Keith watched him curiously. 

 

So if it wasn’t about the phone… what was this about?

 

And then he’d said it.

 

“What?” Keith blurted out.

 

“I don’t think abortion is a good idea,” Blue repeated, firmer this time.

 

“What are you…”

 

What  _ was _ he? Some radical defender or all lives or some bullshit? He’d just risked his life to get a  _ phone _ , he was tired and stressed and pregnant and in the middle of a fucking  _ heist _ . If he had to deal with even half an inconvenience more, he was going to either burst into tears or punch whoever was closer. And the closest face to his was that of an armed robber who was currently holding him hostage, so things weren’t really looking up.

 

“Is it about the money?” Keith shook his head. “Because if it’s about the money… we’re in a heist. You can get something out of it too”   
  


Before he could stop him, Lance was shoving 20,000 bucks down his pants, smiling and joking how it was enough to cover a lifetime of diapers. Keith didn’t know what to say, jaw stubbornly dropped as he tried to process what was happening, zipping up the jumpsuit again if only to give his hands something to do.

 

“But it’s-” Keith shook his head, trying to reorder his thoughts. Why was Blue giving him money? How could he explain why he wanted to abort? “It’s not about the money. Just give me the pill and I’ll go back inside”

 

Blue was still. He blinked at Keith like he’d grown a second head but finally reached into his pocket to hold the pill out for him. Keith breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of it, but he shouldn’t have thought it would be so easy. As he reached to grab it, the boy held the pill just out of reach, making him step forward instinctively to chase after it. It brought them so close, almost like they’d been when he was blindfolded, only now Keith could see him, and his senses were picking up on everything he couldn’t before: the furrow of his brow, the messy state of his hair, he could even see the tiny golden specks in his eyes, flickering amidst so much emotion. 

 

How could this boy be so invested in him when they’d just met? Why did he care so much?

 

“What is it then?” Blue asked quietly, but his tone was getting a little angrier. Out of control. “If it’s not the money, then why don’t you want it? Do you think he’ll fuck up your life?”

 

“What?” Because apparently he couldn’t come up with another word.

 

“Your baby,” Keith winced at the word. “It’s better if  _ he _ fucks up your life than any of these assholes, or if I do”   
  


“Are you going to fuck up my life?” was he threatening him? Keith felt a hand creeping up without him wanting to, protectively over the bump he didn’t have. Over the baby he had convinced himself he didn’t want. 

 

Lance saw it and smiled a little. “Life gets fucked up if you look at it the wrong way. It’s so easy… one day you’re working and suddenly four lunatics in Dali masks start shooting up the place. One loose bullet and everything goes to hell,” he picked up his gun but Keith didn’t dare flinch at the sight of it. “This,” he shook it a little, as if testing its weight, but his eyes didn’t move from their lock on Keith’s. “ _ This _ fucks up your life. Not a baby”   
  


“What the hell do you know about it?” Keith snapped. How dare he? How dare he judge him when they were the ones terrorizing over 60 people for money? He was being… it was a  _ mercy _ . What kid would want to grow up with him as a parent? He couldn’t even take care of himself on a good day, how was he supposed to look after a child? “You don’t know me”

 

A bitter smile twisted Blue’s lips. “I didn’t know my mother,” he continued. “She went to abort me, but the police caught her selling what little drugs she had left to pay for it. I was born between jail and the police and drugs. What the hell do  _ you _ know?”

 

“It’s my choice,” Keith huffed out through gritted teeth. 

 

“It is… but what do you have to lose?” Blue shook his head, looking him up and down. “Your job isn’t too exciting. Maybe you get out of this mess and your life isn’t so great either. Do you work out or something? Or maybe drinks on Friday… you’re right. Another plan that gets fucked over the baby. But who do you go out with? Where are your friends? I’ll tell you. They’re home with their kids. Are their lives fucked up?”

 

Keith shook his head. He didn’t really have friends, nor family… He had no one. But the point still stood.

 

“What crazy thing do you do that you can’t do with a baby?” Blue looked down in the direction the hostages were and scoffed lightly, turning back to look at him incredulously. “And if that asshole won’t take care of it, so what? You get all the love for yourself. Do you know how much a baby can love you?”

 

Before Keith could protest weakly, a voice startled them both.

 

“What are you doing, Blue?” Keith turned. At some moment the Boss had come up behind them, signature smirk in place as he looked them over. 

 

“I’m just giving him the abortion pill”

 

“And what?” Boss shrugged. “Does he need you to put it in his mouth with a little water?”

 

Blue glared at the man, defiant. “Abortion is a private thing. It’s his choice to make, but he doesn’t have to do it in front of everybody”

 

Keith hated to admit it, but Blue was right. 

 

All he’d been scared of was because of what  _ he’d _ been through, but life wasn’t always hell. Keith could give them a good life, a normal life where he’d love his baby to death. Blue’s mother had raised him in a  _ cell _ , why couldn’t he do it being free? It was as if the boy was daring him to do it, trying to make him think of a better excuse. A plea disguised as an insult to his capabilities. 

 

It was smart, because it made him reconsider.

 

Maybe if he survived this… maybe he could keep it. He’d been so lonely all of his life, so desperate for affection he’d clung to an affair he knew led nowhere for a little comfort. Maybe if he had a baby he wouldn’t be alone anymore. Why couldn’t he give them a chance at life?

 

Regarding the money, he had enough. And if he somehow made it out with the 20,000 Blue had given him, he’d have  _ more _ than enough. And who knew? Maybe Ian would even pay child support. Maybe he’d get another job and find someone to look after them along the way. Someone kind… like Blue. 

 

Maybe Keith could finally have a family.

 

“I think I’ll wait until I’m out to decide,” he said quietly at the Boss’ prompting for an answer. The man smiled, patting him in the back a little.

 

“I think it’s wonderful that you have decided to carry on with the pregnancy,” without knowing what to say, he looked at Blue and the boy smiled too, looking proud that his words had worked on him. “Now go back to the office with the others. Come on”

 

Keith closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief as he turned to leave. The possibilities had started to run loose in his mind. Pictures of children and laughter and love swirled like a pleasant dream behind his eyelids along with the relief of the money stuffed in his pants. 

 

He could do this. 

 

Keith started to calm down after the tense conversation, a smile spreading across his face-

 

_ Ding! _

 

The vibration against his leg caught him off guard. He was confused for a split second before he understood. The smile died on his lips as he heard the Boss walking towards him.

 

How could he have believed the daydream in his head? How could he have forgotten about the heist? About the phone?

 

How could he forget to turn the fucking alarm off?

 

Keith couldn’t move as the Boss unzipped his jumpsuit. He didn’t even feel the unease at the feeling of hands reaching down his pants to take out the bills, only looking at Blue desperately, begging quietly for help. But Blue looked as shocked as he was, as frozen in place as Keith. He could see the gears turning in the boy’s head, thinking of a way to help him. 

 

When the Boss’ hand trailed lower, sneaking down between his legs, he felt a tear slip down his cheek. The shame he felt was minimal. He couldn’t even feel the cold hands on his skin. All that was present in his mind was unadulterated panic, consuming him from the inside out, freezing all of his body functions and leaving him breathless.

 

As the Boss pulled Blue aside and started talking in hushed voices he looked down at his feet, not even considering running. Why him? What had he done to deserve this? He had been ready to kill it just an hour ago and now… he felt like he’d failed his baby. Before, anything he decided to do would have been his choice, and now it was going to be taken away from him entirely. 

 

There was a loud sound and Keith jumped, turning to find the Boss had left and it was just Blue and him in the corridor. The boy had thrown the phone against the floor, pieces shattering all over it uselessly, his face the angriest he’d seen it. Blue looked at him completely defeated, and he knew. 

 

Keith was going to die.

 

Blue didn’t say anything, he didn’t have to. He tried to pull and shove him but his legs wouldn’t work and he got tired soon enough. When Keith tried stopping him, holding onto his shoulders and shaving as hard as he could, the boy just took the chance to pull him over his shoulder. He felt pathetic, hanging over him completely useless. All of his body felt sluggish, and all he could do to protest was weakly kick his legs and punch Blue’s back until he was being let down in a bathroom. 

 

“Why did you take the fucking phone?!” the boy screamed, pulling at his hair after he’d closed the door behind them, taking out his gun and pointing it accusingly at him. “Why would you be so fucking stupid?!”

 

“I-I don’t know,” Keith stuttered out. He had been looking down the barrel of guns for two days now, but this was the only one he knew for sure was going to kill him. “Ian. H-he-”

 

“Why did you trick me?” Blue screamed, stalking over and shaking him. “Why would you do that?” 

 

“I’m a hostage!” Keith screamed back. “I thought you-”

 

“We told you we weren’t going to hurt you!” Blue let him go, running a hand down his face in frustration. “Why couldn’t you just wait for a few days?”

 

“And we were supposed to believe you?” the panic had turned into anger at some point. “I’m a fucking secretary! I don’t deserve this shit! Those teenagers don’t deserve this shit!”

 

“Shut up,” Blue was pointing the gun at him again. “Just shut up!”

 

“No,” Keith, against every instinct in his body, walked towards the gun until he could feel it pressed against his chest. “What are you going to do? Are you going to shoot me?” 

 

“I have to,” Blue insisted, but he looked as desperate as Keith felt. “Boss said if I didn’t the whole plan’s fucked. I haven’t risked it all to have it end here because of- because some stupid secretary decided to play hero! Do you think I want to? If I don’t kill you, they’ll kill me and  _ then _ you too”

 

“You’re going to kill me then?” Blue nodded, but he didn’t look so sure. This was the chance he’d been offered, and Keith wasn’t going to go down without a fight. “You’re going to kill a pregnant-”

 

“Shut the fuck up!”

 

“You think you’re so brave?” Keith scoffed, his fists clenched, his body shaking. “You say I tricked you, then convince me to keep the fucking baby only to point a gun at my face!”

 

“I didn’t- I  _ have _ to”

 

“Then do it,” Keith grabbed the gun with a shaking hand without thinking and guided it to point at his stomach. It was the single most stupid thing he’d done in his entire life and every single fiber of his being protested against the action, but if it somehow saved him he’d be proud of it for the rest of his days. “I won’t beg for my life, or for the b-baby’s. I was ready to kill it anyway. So fucking  _ do it” _

 

“I said shut the fuck up!”

 

“ _ Do it! _ ” 

 

Blue pressed the trigger.

 

Keith closed his eyes.

 

The gun fired. 

  
  
  



	5. Vault Two

The first time the gun fired there was no pain. Keith thought that aybe it had been so fast he hadn’t felt it rip through him. And now he was meant to look down and collapse when he realized the plan hadn’t worked, clutching at the bleeding wound and crying as he said his last words.

 

Like in the movies.

 

But all he saw when he opened his eyes were his own trembling hands still tightly clutched by his sides and his grey shirt, immaculate except for the dampness of his own sweat. 

 

And a cracked tile in the bathroom room inches away from his right foot, a bullet lodged firmly in the ceramic. 

 

Keith was alive.

 

“Fucking Christ,” he gasped, reaching to pull at the collar of the jumpsuit in an attempt to clear his airway. “Thank you”

 

Blue was blinking at him fast, jaw slack and eyes wide. “We’re screwed”

 

“No, we’re  _ not _ ,” that kicked his mind into gear. He was alive, but he wouldn’t be for a long time if they were found. “Just- Just tell them you killed me and got rid of the body,” he shuddered at the thought, mortality still too fresh in his mind, the idea of being thrown like garbage in a tiny, locked room… 

 

Oh.

 

“I’ll hide,” he nodded at Blue, watching him nod along as he explained. “In vault two. I’m the only one who can go in and out”

 

He was, wasn’t he? Why the hell hadn’t he stolen the money then?

 

Blue turned like he was going for the door, but he jerked back, looking around at the floor. “Blood,” he grimaced. “How is he supposed to believe me if there’s not a single fucking drop of blood,” and then Blue started angrily muttering in what he assumed was Spanish, but Keith didn’t need a translator to tell he was cursing his head off. 

 

“Shoot me in the hand,” he blurted out. 

 

“ _ What? _ ”

 

In retrospect, he was saying and doing a lot of things that didn’t make any sense. But the chaos of the situation would have to work as an excuse in the future for all of the stupid ideas that had occurred to him. “Shoot me in the hand,” he repeated. Flexing the muscles unconsciously, Keith reached for the gun in a hopeless attempt to make him do it, but Blue wouldn’t point it at him. “Just shoot me in the shoulder!”

 

“It’s too close to your lungs,” Blue was still clutching the gun in a vice grip, not budging even as Keith struggled to pull it out of his hands.

 

“Then shoot me in the leg,” Keith hurried. How much time did they have? Would the Boss come to check on his body? “It bleeds a lot. I’ve seen it in movies”

 

“But I-”

 

“Are you going to fucking shoot me or do we have to wait for your boss to come and have him shoot us both?”

 

Blue seemed to get his bearings at that, nodding hurriedly before shuffling against the sinks to lean on and holding out his hand for him to bite. Keith couldn’t help but let out a huff of laughter when he did. He couldn’t count the times he’d been in the same position before with Ian, stumbling into the bathroom and getting bent over the sinks, biting at a hand to keep quiet. But the amusement wilted when he felt the barrel of the gun pressing into his thigh, a hand coming up to hold onto Blue’s and squeeze.

 

The gun fired for a second time, and this time it  _ hurt _ . It hurt so bad that his vision blacked out and he screamed, trying to express the pain into the hand over his mouth, scratching at the arm that went to hold him up in a panic because it fucking  _ hurt _ . He didn’t even feel it as Blue lowered him onto the ground on his side, never letting go of his hand as he squeezed and cried and moaned in complete agony. 

 

It felt exactly how it looked: like a hole had been torn in his thigh, burning and consuming every one of his senses like the blood that pooled below him as he squirmed and twitched, nauseated at the feeling of it spilling out. He tried to find comfort in the gentle fingers pulling his hair away from his face and the brushing lips against his ear shushing him gently with quiet  _ it’s okay you’re okay’ _ s. But it was futile, and Blue knew it, words quickly turning into apologies as he kept twitching and crying on the ground.

 

It was hell. 

 

Keith didn’t even have time to calm down before Blue was hissing at him to stay quiet and still, warning him that was someone coming. It was surprisingly easy to do so, as if all of the adrenaline suddenly flushed out of his body and he was left exhausted on the ground, not daring to move an inch so he could keep down the flaring pain that he felt when he dared breathe too hard. 

 

“Two shots?” a voice suddenly said. It seemed to be coming from the next room over, but he could tell it was the Boss. He wasn’t surprised it was distorted, Keith hadn’t even heard the door open in his haze. “Do you have bad aim? Or did you have a crush on him?”

 

“It’s hard if the man begs for his life,” Blue gritted out. There was a shuffle, and Keith imagined it was the boy holding onto the others’ jumpsuit. Not being in his right mind, he felt a dumb smile spread over his face at his good acting, even if Keith personally didn’t think he’d ever be beneath- “If he begs for his baby’s life” 

 

This was a story he’d make sure his kid wouldn’t hear about. 

 

If they even made it out in the first place.

 

“Put him in the coal boiler in the basement,” the Boss said simply. “And clean up this shit”   
  


When Blue picked him up, Keith fought, if only for a moment, thinking that maybe he  _ had _ died and the boy was taking him to the basement to burn his body. But it was fleeting, as the pain was back full force for all of its short pause, and it had him trying to clutch onto Blue’s neck like a life-line, irritated as his hands slipped on the skin. He couldn’t scream and he looked at his treacherous limbs accusingly, not even letting him hold on to something.

 

If he had been more conscious, he’d realize that even his hair was soaked in blood, and it made sense his hands wouldn't be spared. 

 

But all he felt was panic.

 

They hadn’t thought this through.

 

“-ey. Hey,” there were fingers snapping in front of his face. “Come on,  _ breathe _ . You’ve gotta stay with me over here”

 

“What?” Keith just wanted to sleep. If he was sleeping, he wouldn’t have to feel the pain or the awful sensation of his hands slipping on his own blood. If his eyes were closed then he wouldn’t see how the red now adorned Blue’s skin in an awful imitation of a necklace. If he were more of a romantic he’d say it contrasted nicely against his tan skin, like jam on some freshly baked dessert… But at that moment it just made him feel sick. 

 

A hand was patting his cheek. Not harshly, but not gentle either. 

 

“Hey.  _ Hey _ . Focus,” Keith blinked up at Blue. The blood was on his face too. “You have to tell me where to go”

 

They had to get to the vault. Keith had to get them to the vault. If they didn’t get to the vault, he’d die. So instead of thinking about his own mortality, or the guilt that made chills run down his spine when he saw the shame on Blue’s face, he concentrated on saving the boy’s life. Somewhere, deep in his subconscious, it may have been all selfish survival. 

 

It was like when the oxygen masks dropped on the plane. Keith had always found it weird that adults were ordered to put their masks on firsts and then take care of the children. He couldn’t imagine knowing his own son couldn’t breathe and having the audacity to put the mask on first. But when he’d looked it up it had finally made sense, perfect sense. Even if it would go against every parent’s instincts to save themselves before their baby, they had to in order to ensure their survival. What would the baby do if they were given the mask first and their mother fainted? Only a mother would place their baby’s life above hers, no one else on the plane would even notice the baby’s crying among the commotion. The baby would live, yes, but not for long. 

 

If Blue changed his mind about him, Keith could die. If Blue got caught, they  _ both _ died. Keith was bleeding out, he couldn’t move, let alone walk, and he was close to losing consciousness, mind wandering aimlessly… 

 

“Keith,  _ where _ ?” 

 

If Keith wanted to live, he had to make sure Blue saved him. 

 

“Down the stairs… “ it took a minute, but Keith managed to cough and spew directions. Blue nodded along and took him there, wincing and apologizing for every groan of pain that escaped him when he was jostled around too much. 

 

When they were finally in the safety of the basement, Blue set him down on his feet lightly, not letting go of his waist as he tried and failed to enter his fingerprint. 

 

“What’s wrong?” Blue insisted. Keith could hear his head turning nervously towards the stairs, as if he thought someone would run down them and catch them, hands clenching on his waist as if preparing to throw and hide him if he so much as heard a creak out of place. 

 

“There’s blood on it,” metallic taste filling his mouth, Keith mumbled around his thumb, sighing in relief when the light finally turned red and the lock turned. 

 

As Blue guided him to lean against the wall as he opened the vault, Keith closed his eyes. Before, when the boy had been ordered to take his clothes off…  _ he can’t be under so much stress _ . 

 

And look where that had gotten him. 

 

There was a hole in his leg and a pounding in his head and he was supposed to be dead. Stress didn’t even begin to cover the turmoil he was experiencing, the coexisting void his shutting down mind wanted him to give in to and the screaming in his ears begging to protect himself and the baby. Wasn’t stress supposed to be like poison for a pregnant person? Oh god, was his inability to control his emotions killing his baby before it was even born?

 

“He’s going to be fine,” Blue was babbling above him. When he opened his eyes he was staring at his young and bloodied face, a halo of bright white light around him. “ _ You’re _ going to be fine”

 

Had he been talking aloud? It didn’t matter. He had to fall asleep. If he was asleep he could calm down and the baby would be fine. 

 

“I think I’m going to faint,” Keith murmured, the darkness consuming his vision. 

 

He didn’t even get to hear Blue’s answer before he did.

  
  


The next time he opened his eyes the vault’s door was opening. Blue was stumbling in with a backpack and what looked like a yoga mat. 

 

What the hell?

 

Keith pulled his torso up as much as he could, trying to ignore his aching neck and the still throbbing wound on his leg. How long had he been passed out? There wasn’t a clock on the vault, or on Blue’s wrist. And there wasn’t even a window to tell if it was day or night. Only the fluorescent white lights buzzing with electricity and the fact that Blue’s clothes were clean told him it had been a while since he’d been left behind. 

 

“I’ve brought medicine,” the boy said as he settled down beside him, setting the bag aside to help him shift and lean on one of the metallic shelves against the walls. “Should I help you…?” 

 

Keith frowned, and then realized he had to take the jumpsuit off if Blue was going to help him fix the wound. He nodded, and as now clean hands started to open and pull it down, Keith realized there was a makeshift tourniquet above the bullet wound to stop its bleeding and his leg was numb. The thought of anyone touching him while he was unconscious made him shiver, but he knew it had been necessary to stop him from bleeding out before Blue got back to help him.

 

After he’d removed the thin piece of cloth with a groan from Keith as he felt circulation start back up, Blue looked back at the hem of his pants he hesitated, looking up at him as if asking for permission to take off his pants. 

 

Did he expect Keith to say no or something? 

 

“Just do it slowly,” he muttered. 

 

“I need you to hold on to my neck”

 

“What?” he sputtered. Blue leaning so close over him was already setting him on edge, why did he have to hug him on top of that?

 

“If I just pull your pants off it’ll drag on the wound and hurt more,” he explained quickly, making Keith feel ridiculous. He had to remind himself constantly that Blue was kind, he wouldn’t just rip his pants off in a hurry like they were in a cheap porno. 

 

So Keith turned his head away and obeyed, sliding his arms around Blue’s neck as he leaned even closer over him. When he felt a hand sneak around his back, he flinched instinctively and Blue apologized, was about to tell him he didn’t have to apologize for everything when the arm tightened and he was lifted up. It wasn’t even an inch, but the movement made a shock of pain run up his leg and linger, and he had to focus all of his willpower not to whine like a bitch. 

 

What he couldn’t stop was the long groan of pain that was pulled out of him when Blue set him down again, and he leaned heavily against the metal behind him, panting like he’d just ran a marathon.

 

“Okay,” when he looked down Blue was holding a scalpel and was holding it closer and closer to his skin. “I’m just gonna-”

 

“No!” There was absolutely no way he was doing that without anesthesia. Keith tried to scramble but it only made more pain flare up. “Are you crazy?!”   
  


“We have to get the bullet out,” yeah, he  _ knew _ that. He could also see Blue’s hands trembling. 

 

“If my leg’s not fucked enough as it is, you’ll definitely get it there if you dig around with that thing,” Keith protested, looking down at the gaping wound. Oh god, it looked disgusting. It better not get infected. “Have you even cleaned your hands?”

 

Blue blinked at him as if he was crazy. “It’s better out than in. We have-”

 

“No we don’t  _ have _ to,” he got an idea then. Bless all those lazy Saturday evenings watching action movies and health channels. “There’s been cases of people living with bullets and glass in all of their lives”

 

“So you want to risk it over some shit you watched on TV?” Blue must’ve taken pity on him, as he nodded and put the scalpel away. “Okay then. We’ll just clean it and wrap it up. See how you progress for a couple days, all right?”

 

Keith nodded, exhaling a sigh of relief. It didn’t last of course, as Blue pulled out a bottle of alcohol.

 

“No,” his mouth moved before his brain did. He knew it was necessary, but he’d had cuts before. Alcohol hurt like a bitch.

 

“Non-negotiable,” Blue shrugged as he uncapped the thing. Keith could feel his brain start to panic again. What if he screamed and someone heard him? But Blue was smarter than he looked, and he quickly put a hand to his mouth for him to bite. He didn’t even have time to ask if he was sure before the bottle was turning and his leg was burning, teeth biting down on their own accord as he tried not to scream. 

 

“It’s okay. It’s done already, see?” Keith felt tears pour down his cheeks. Christ, he was an absolute mess. He’d always prided himself in having a lot of pain tolerance, but it seemed to have bailed on him when he needed it most. Or he just wasn’t used to bullet wounds. 

 

That made more sense, actually.

 

“Just like when we were kids and played operation,” Blue laughed as he finished wrapping up his leg in some gauze, pulling it and securing it with duct tape to make sure there was pressure keeping it from bleeding. “I also brought these,” he turned to rummage around on the bag, dumping half a dozen bottles on the ground. “Antibiotics, muscle relaxants, pain killers-”

 

“Pain killers,” Keith gasped. For the first time he understood drug addicts, needing the numbness desperately. He wanted to be so drugged he couldn’t tell what his name was, let alone feel his leg… or any part of his body for all it was worth. 

 

Lance went to grab them but stopped himself. “But won’t it be bad?” Keith blinked. “For the baby, I mean”

 

“Shit,” Keith was seriously going to cry. He laughed sarcastically. “Can’t be worse than a bullet, right?”

 

Blue didn’t think it was so funny.

 

“I’ll read the pamphlet and see alright?” the paper looked tiny, but then it unfolded, and unfolded and unfolded and unfolded… “Read this pamphlet carefully. Keep it in case you need to read it again…”

 

_ Just a couple of days, _ Boss had said.

 

They were going to be a long couple of days.

  
  
  



	6. The Eighth Robber

_ “Mierda” _

 

Keith had no idea what that meant, but he didn’t bother to turn around, groaning for a second before he was throwing up the rest of what little was left in his stomach into the toilet bowl. 

 

For the fourth time now. 

 

What he  _ did _ know was that Spanish meant it was Blue who had found him in the bathroom and not another one of the robbers. It was a testament to his luck and a miracle, really, as Keith hadn’t been subtle, or even tried to be in his hazy trip to the bathroom. 

 

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” 

 

Keith gagged at the thought again.

 

It was okay next time he woke up after Lance left him, mystery cocktail in his stomach making him dizzy. The first thing he focused on doing was breathing, making sure he was alive, but when he found out his leg still throbbed when inhaled too fast, he went right back to sleep, no questions asked. 

 

The second time he woke up, he was able to move his legs a little, even though his head felt weird. The white lights and unprinted paper were all that kept him company as he laid there, breathing and blinking and trying to think through the pounding in his head. Somewhere in between counting the lines in the ceiling and making small random sounds to check he was alive, he fell asleep again. 

 

The third time he woke up it was to the muffled sound of a gunshot. 

 

The moment Keith had opened his eyes, he hadn’t even processed that he was awake before the nausea started, pushing and pulling all the way into his stomach and up his throat and making him forget about the sound before he could even question it. The severity and strain of holding back from turning and throwing up made him sweat profusely, the dampness of his shirt doing nothing to defuse the heat that cooked him higher and higher with every second that passed. It made his hair stick uncomfortably to his head, the smell of blood spreading again as it was soaked. 

 

Keith had tried moving around the vault in an attempt to escape the smell, but there was nothing to be done as he was the one stinking up the whole room. The tiny airspace available wasn’t helping, either, and his mind was getting more and more desperate for fresh air and slipping farther every second. 

 

When the nausea became unbearable, the thought of the smell of vomit combined with the already repelling atmosphere finally tipped him over the edge. 

 

If he was going to die, he was doing it with some sort of dignity, not choking on his own stench. 

 

So with the little strength he’d recuperated and grimacing through the pain, he pushed the vault’s door open. It was better out in the corridor. Even as his leg throbbed and he saw the trail he’d left on the ground, it was definitely better. But the vault was in a basement, and the smell spread quickly, following him out to combine with the staleness and making him groan in annoyance. 

 

And the nausea wasn’t letting up. 

 

_ Fuck it _ , he muttered to no one. 

 

Blue rubbing his back brought him back to the present. “Why would you… how the fuck did you even get here?” 

 

It was an excellent question, considering he didn’t know how he’d made it either. 

 

“Stood up… leaned against the wall,” his voice was hoarse and distorted, his mind ignoring the dirty white ceramic and finding it heavenly cooling against his burning cheek as he tried to explain. “Nausea… didn’t want to puke. The smell…” it made him heave a little again. 

 

“It’s okay,” Blue pulled his hair back, and he felt toilet paper dabbing at the sweat on the back of his neck. “Black, is it too early for morning sickness?”

 

“I don’t think so”

 

That  _ voice _ .

 

It was at that was the precise moment that he became aware of the other presence behind Blue. Keith’s curiosity bypassed his misery and he turned his head to look at the figure. It was the only robber he hadn’t gotten to see yet, the one with the familiar voice. A tall man who looked bigger and stronger than Blue, too. There was a sudden shock of white in the middle of his black hair, and his face was a bit blurry for a second, but he could still see the strange scar across his nose and- 

 

When he came into focus Keith’s heart almost stopped. 

 

“What was that thing you said before?” he mumbled to Blue, not looking away from the man.

 

“ _ Mierda _ ?” Blue frowned in his peripheral vision. 

 

“Definitely that,” because Keith really didn’t know any word in his language to describe seeing…  

 

Maybe he had finally gone mad, fever running so high he was hallucinating. That would make more sense than what he now recognized as his long lost brother’s face looming over him in a red jumpsuit and casually holding a gun like it was a part of his arm, face blank if not with a bit of concern, not a shadow of recognition in sight.

 

Oh.

 

Keith had almost forgotten. The last time they’d seen each other he’d been 11 and he’d still looked like a girl, puberty coupled with a few years of testosterone and thirteen years would have made him unrecognizable.  _ I studied you _ , Blue had said, but had all the robbers done the same? Even if they did, Keith had changed his name, if he had been in the same position he wouldn’t even have recognized himself. 

 

Why did he have to deal with this now? Couldn’t he have waited to show up some other time where he didn’t feel like he was going to puke his life out?

 

The man leaned down besides him, eyes looking soft and concerned. Keith couldn’t help but lean into him, seeking desperately for some sense of familiarity. The memories of him were almost faded, but seeing his face and listening to his voice and feeling his touch brought them all back. As a cool hand pressed into his forehead, he closed his eyes at the surge of comfort it brought. He could even remember being sick like this once, how the only boy in the orphanage he’d dared to call his brother had done the same. 

 

“You’re burning up,” the man swore, checking the back of his neck too for good measure.  “We have to get that bullet out or we’re fucked”   
  


Listening to his voice from so close was already unnerving, but when Keith felt the man's arms around him as he was lifted up once again he went stiff as a board. The physical pain was minimal compared to the hole that was opening up in his chest. Muscle memory made him relax eventually, his head lulling uselessly against a strong chest. 

 

Keith didn’t want to be so useless, wanted to feel angry at the man who’d dared make empty promises about coming back for him and never did. It was hard getting kicked out, starting out in the streets with nothing in his pocket but bitterness and hurt. 

 

And that was all that his heart allowed him to feel, much to his annoyance: pure and rampant hurt. 

 

At least when they got back to the vault it didn’t smell as disgusting as before, but he didn’t really have any hopes that it’d stay that way as Blue and Black bustled over him, cutting the bandages the boy had put in to prepare to get the bullet out.

 

Oh, shit. They were going to pull the bullet out.

 

“Why haven’t you used the surgical kit?” Black suddenly asked. “There’s a scalpel in there”

 

“Boss has it,” Blue shrugged. “I didn’t think it was a very good idea to ask him for it”

 

“Fuck…” but then Black’s eyes widened, the metaphorical light bulb turning on above his head. “The surgeons, go steal their tools”

 

“Surgeons?” Keith felt slow, but he was lucid enough to ask that. In a sudden moment of clarity, he remembered the shot he’d heard. “Was someone shot?”

 

Blue seemed like he didn’t want to tell him, eyes shifting nervously, but Black had no inhibitions holding him back. “The manager”

 

Ian. 

 

“Great,” Keith laughed bitterly. There really was no ounce of appreciation left for that man, not after he’d sent him to die doing his own dirty work. “That’s child support off the list”

 

“What are you-” Black turned to stare at him. He seemed to come to a realization then, a big one. “You’re pregnant?” 

 

“Yeah,” Keith’s head was getting hazy again. Black was pushing his hair away from his face, holding his face between his hands and leaning in closer than before. His face had hardened, but his eyes still looked as kind as he remembered. 

 

“What did you say your name was?”

 

Keith blinked at him. So this was happening right now? Okay. He could deal with that. Probably.

 

“It’s Keith now,” he wasn't about to spew that other shit. He’d gone past that years ago.

 

“Now?”

 

“I changed it… as soon as I got out of St. Catherine's”

 

“You changed it?” Black’s face fell at that. He looked scared. Served him right.

 

The anger was settling in now. 

 

Blue seemed to pick up on it straight away, mumbled something about going for the scalpel and disappeared out of the ajar vault door. Black seemed to shake out of his daze and turned back to the bag, shuffling through it slowly. The man either thought Keith hadn’t recognized him yet or was ignoring the situation to get his thoughts in order. He could almost see the gears turning in his head as he pulled the thermometer out. 

 

As the man checked for his temperature, Keith thought about what he wanted to say. Even if he was angry, Black deserved a chance to explain himself. Even if Keith was aching, he needed to know what had happened, to know if the man sitting in front of him now was the same from so many years ago. Keith wanted to know everything about him, where he’d been, how he’d gotten there, how he felt…

 

But when he opened his mouth, he couldn’t do it. 

 

All that came out was rage.

 

“You know I’m only six weeks pregnant, and already I care more about his life than mine?” Black removed the thermometer and stared at him, letting him talk. “Just a few days ago I was ready to get rid of it, to kill it because I didn’t know what else to do. And you know why that was?” 

 

Black had the decency to shake his head. 

 

“Because I was scared to death that he’d feel like me. When I told Ian, he turned his back on it, called me a lying slut and left. I was scared that when he grew up, he’d ask who his daddy was and I’d have to tell him he left because he wasn’t wanted. That he’d hate me because I let him go… And I was afraid  _ for _ him too. Because there have been guns pointed at me for days now, and I knew that one pull of any of those little triggers could mean my death. I thought, ‘well, I’m just a secretary, and I somehow got myself into this situation’. So what if something happened to me after too? What if I had him and then I left him? What if he ended up somewhere like St. Catherine's? I thought, that can’t be too bad,  _ I _ survived it… but then I remembered you,” he turned to look at Black then, glaring through the tears that threatened to fall. “I remember how nice it felt to finally have a family” 

 

Black smiled a little, but it died right back down with his next words. “And I remember how much it fucking sucked to watch it walk away thinking they’d come back. How much it hurt that last day before I left, a stupid, naive part of me still hoping you wouldn’t break your promise. That you wouldn’t abandon me” 

 

“I’m so sorry”

 

“And what does that fix?” Keith laughed. “13 years and all I get is  _ sorry _ ?” What had he expected? That somehow one heist and a conversation later he’d have his brother back? “I waited for you for 7 years in that place. I don’t even remember your name, for Christ’s sake”

 

“It’s Shiro”

 

“What?” Keith knew instantly. It was the name that’d been on the tip of his tongue for years, the one pounding on the closed door in his mind the second he’d heard his voice. He just wanted to hear him say it again.

 

“My name. It’s Shiro,” he looked determined now, settling down where he sat. “And you deserved better”   
  


Keith was silent. He didn’t know what to say or had the mind to after his rant. And he didn’t need to, because then Shiro started talking, started explaining where he’d been all the way back from right after he left. It was similar to what Keith had done, except for the military part and getting discharged because of his intense PTSD. Keith closed his eyes when he started talking about not getting hired because of his conditions, getting so desperate he turned to making heists with his partner, couldn’t bear to look at Shiro when he told him about illegal street fighting and getting arrested for it. And then finding out about losing his partner in jail… meeting their man on the outside after almost giving up… 

 

And yet. 

 

“You still haven’t answered me” Keith murmured when he’d finished, mind still reeling from the tragic story but needing to know nonetheless. “Why didn’t you come back for me?”

 

“I wanted to,” Shiro confessed, voice heavy with regret. “I wanted to have enough money to keep us afloat. And-”

 

“I wouldn’t have minded,” Keith shook his head. He was getting hot again. His head hurt. “I just wanted you to come back”

 

“I did come back for you,” the man continued, eyes searching his desperately as he tried to explain. “I went back but you were already gone. I looked for you everywhere but there was no record of you anywhere. You just…  disappeared”

 

_ Keith _ disappeared? He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. How could he say that? How could he-

 

“Hey, Keith?”

 

It was a nightmare being alone. It was  _ hell _ to get his life together after Shiro was gone but he continued, found a way to pull through and now-

 

“Keith, stay with me,” Shiro was slapping his face firmly, had him opening his eyes to a sight he didn’t want to see, didn’t want to deal with. “You have to stay awake”

 

But he just wanted to sleep. He wanted to close his eyes and never wake up and forget any of this ever happened. Ian, the baby, the heist, Shiro and Blue… it was all too much. He heard the door open and Blue shouting, steps and a thud, the feeling of a hand on the back of his neck and another one on his hand and on his leg. The robbers talked above him as if he wasn’t there, muttering and cursing as they passed things around until-

 

“Clench my hand”

 

“Wha-” and then the feeling of being shot again, only this time by a smaller bullet, on the same place he’d been actually shot. When he opened his eyes he saw another needle, only this time it was closer to the wound and- “Mother _ fuck _ -”

 

“It’s okay,” Blue encouraged, but he sounded as agonized as Keith felt as he crushed the hand offered to him. “We just have to wait until it kicks in and then we’ll take it out”

 

It felt like hours until it ‘kicked in’. His leg twitched as if electrocuted along with his steady pulse until it eventually diminished to a dull ache and then mercifully to nothing, and it was easier to deal with the dizziness without the pain. Shiro had the tweezers ready to pull the thing out when Blue stopped pressing around the wound testing its numbness, tightening the tourniquet he hadn’t seen the boy pull out so they wouldn’t make too much of a mess and finally giving the thumbs up to proceed. 

 

Keith personally wanted to see, but Blue wouldn’t let him sate his curiosity, trying his best to distract him as Shiro dug around in his leg.

 

“What are you thinking of naming it?” was the first question he asked. 

 

It made Keith smile for a bit, thinking of all the possibilities. “Nothing with an I, that’s for sure”

 

Blue chuckled lightly, but he still looked nervous. Even when he was the one being operated on, he felt the need to distract the boy so he’d calm down.

 

“I don’t really know,” he confessed, shifting a little to loosen the pillar his neck had become from leaning on hard metal too long. “Do you have any ideas?”

 

“Hundreds,” Blue sighed, shoulders relaxing a bit. Good. “I have a big family that just keeps getting bigger, I’ve taken part in baby naming ceremonies a lot”

 

“Well, there’s Isabella and Micaela for girls, and Nico and Dante for boys. And there’s also Ella and …”

 

And that was how they stayed. Keith bleeding and nodding while Blue blurted out every baby name he could think so while Shiro dug a bullet out of his leg. 

What had he possibly done in his past life to deserve such a weird situation? 

 

Keith didn’t know. And frankly, he didn’t care anymore.

 

He just shut his eyes and waited for it to end. 

  
  
  



	7. Sunday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let the feelings begin

“How are you feeling?”

 

Blue was asking if his fever had gone down, if his leg still wouldn’t let him move. And the answer for that was simple, really: everything hurt like he’d been run over by a truck, but it was less than yesterday… or whatever day it was. 

 

But that wasn’t a truthful response. So how  _ was _ Keith feeling? 

 

Angry and betrayed by Ian, hurt for the pain that still lingered on his body from being shot and then dug around in to remove the bullet… but there was also an undeniable sense of relief for finding Shiro, thankfulness to Blue for his help and the oddest sense of happiness he remembered ever experiencing. 

 

Before, he’d been annoyed by it all. He’d excused all of his feeling towards Blue as a necessary tool for survival… right? 

 

Sympathy for the man who shot him because he hadn’t wanted to, guilt because  _ Keith _ had made him do it after he’d stolen a phone… it was all because he’d been hazy and out of it, right? 

 

The feeling of being cared for when Blue held him as he cried on the bathroom floor, it was just because he’d needed the comfort his meaningless words and hands brought when they were all he had to hold on to in his desperation… right? 

 

Now that he was better, everything was supposed to go away. He wasn’t in immediate danger anymore, but on the road to feeling safe, so he was supposed to hate him now, because saving him had been the least he could do and not some amazing act of kindness. 

 

But when Blue stumbled in through the vault door, he had to bite back on a smile and tame the fluttering of his heart. 

 

Keith was Blue’s  _ hostage _ . Blue was one of 8 robbers conducting a heist on the place he worked on, had been sent to kill him and had fucking  _ shot _ him and actually almost killed him with sketchy medication.

 

How was it possible that Keith felt safe with him?

 

Maybe it was just his stupid brain ignoring the context. 

 

How was Keith feeling then?

 

“Fine,” he settled on saying out loud. Blue was smart, and he didn’t look like he trusted the answer, but apparently it was universally known that  _ fine _ meant  _ not really, but I won’t tell you,  _ because he just settled down opposite him without further questions. Keith tried to look away as he got comfortable, but Blue was shifting around and not really saying anything, so what the hell was he doing?

 

Keith voiced that exact thought aloud, and he turned to watch Blue as he answered. He seemed to be using a sleeping bag stacked on a box as a pillow, and his eyes were already shut as he laughed lightly. 

 

“It’s my sleeping hour,” he let out a sigh as he shuffled around, trying to shake the box into being less solid. “And I wanted to be here in case, you know,” he shrugged. “You needed me or something… ” he opened his eyes again at that, shooting him a questioning look. “Do you mind?” 

 

_ He shot you, _ one side of his brain protested.  _ He could do it again. _

 

_ Only because you told him to, _ a softer voice whispered back.  _ He wouldn’t. He’s kind. _

 

They were both true, his mind laying out the field of options and letting him decide rationally. 

 

It was smarter to assume the worst, that way he wouldn’t be surprised and get himself killed by believing Blue’s apparent good intentions. Keith wanted to be the logical person who made careful decisions, but that wasn’t what he was best at. Sleeping with a married man wasn’t smart, neither was keeping a baby knowing you could die before tomorrow came around or telling a stranger to shoot you to save your own life. If he hadn’t been pregnant when the heist began, Blue wouldn’t have shown mercy and saved his life, and if he hadn’t asked to be shot, the Boss would’ve killed them both. He’d always thought of himself as stupid and irrational, but those decisions eventually saved his life. 

 

Logic would’ve killed him. But instinct…

 

Instinct had saved his life. 

 

So what did his gut say?

 

_ Do you mind? _

 

“I don’t,” he decided. “Mind, I mean. You can sleep here”

 

Blue smiled at him. “Alright then,” and then he turned his head and shut his eyes. 

 

It was only a few minutes until his breathing evened.  _ Out like a light, _ he thought fondly, looking him over as he slept. His face looked younger again, like it had at the start of the heist when he was laughing and joking and flirting with the other robbers, better before he’d put a bullet in him… now all he did was frown, eyes panicked and guilty every time they set on him. 

 

Being fussed over was annoying but it felt… good. In the two years they’d been together, aside from all of his post-orgasm bullshit talk about love, Ian only ever made him feel used, like the slut he’d accused him of being right after Keith had told him he was pregnant. 

 

But Blue was different. 

 

They’d met only a few days ago and already he made Keith feel so much cared for, like he was more than the cheap fuck Ian looked at him as. Keith was a complete stranger to him, and still Blue worried so much over his baby, more than its own father did. Blue was the one who had pulled Ian’s iron grip away from his arm, had blocked him from Ian’s greedy eyes as he changed and taken him away so he could breathe in fear stress would hurt his baby, shoved 20,000 dollars down his pants to help with it when he thought money was why he didn’t want it. 

 

Keith was safe with him. 

 

And with that thought, he turned over and closed his eyes.

 

* * *

 

Keith was a pervert.

 

All he’d wanted to do when he woke up was to drink some water and soothe his dry throat. He almost woke Blue up to pass him a bottle, but he looked so tired and Keith so much better that he decided to stop being a damsel in distress and get the water bottle by himself. 

 

It still hurt to crawl over to the other side of the room, but this time the pain wasn’t all-consuming, and he was able to do so without fainting or letting out a single embarrassing groan. He had been concentrating so hard on moving without crying that he’d ended up on the opposite side of where the supplies were next to Blue. But Keith didn’t pay any mind to it, bracing one hand next to the sleeping boy and leaning over carefully, not wanting to disturb his deep sleep. 

 

But the bottles were too far, and when he turned his head, he was almost a hair-lengths away from Blue’s face. 

 

Why couldn’t he have just gone to the other side?

 

The boy had taken his shirt off sometime when he was asleep, and Keith could see every single bead of sweat on his chest in high definition. Keith wasn’t weak by any standards, chipping in his fair shares of trips to the gym every week, but  _ holy Christ _ was Blue ripped. And Shiro’s chest had felt like a stone wall against his head when he’d carried him the day before… Did heists really require a six pack? And strong pecs? And a pretty face and blue eyes and warm skin and… 

 

How did his hand get there again?

 

But once he noticed it was there, he couldn’t take it off. 

 

Blue must’ve been somewhere around his age, but compared to Ian he was so  _ young _ . His skin was mostly unblemished, muscles strong beneath his fingers as he ran them barely-touching up his neck. Blue didn’t have the strongest jaw or bone structure, not like Shiro did, but the softness to his face didn’t make him any less handsome. There was an almost feminine prettiness to his eyes, long eyelashes resting delicately against his tan cheeks, pink lips slightly parted and a little chapped. Even his hair was soft as Keith brushed a stray lock to the side, eyebrows arched and-

 

Blue’s sudden shifting had Keith’s hand jumping off like he’d been burned.

 

What the hell was he doing?

 

Keith finished reaching for the bottle and scurried away as fast as he could. There wasn’t a mirror in the room, but he didn’t need one to know his cheeks were burning red. What was going on with him? Before, when he’d woken up with the tourniquet on his leg and thought of Blue putting it on while he was sleeping, he’d shivered at the idea, and if it hadn’t been absolutely necessary for his survival Keith would’ve punched him in the face right then and there for daring to put his hands on him when he was unconscious. And now he winced at his own actions, reprimanding his stupid brain for letting itself drift. 

 

Instinct always saved his life in the long run, but that didn’t mean it didn’t also constantly put him in awkward situations. 

 

Just as he was finishing the water, he noticed Blue open his eyes and pull himself up. Keith didn’t understand his capacity to smile so much, and he had to look away at the sight as he started beaming while he stood up. 

 

“Is it still hot?” Keith startled, thinking for a second he’d been caught before Blue gestured to his cheeks. “You’re blushing. Like a lot”

 

“Oh,” he rubbed absently at his cheeks. “Yeah. You’re sweating, too”

 

“Yeah. I’m gonna go get cleaned up,” Blue shrugged, pulling on his shirt before heading to the door. “Huh. First time I wake up and the guy is still there”

 

“Well, I don’t know where you expected me to go,” Keith snapped, cutting off Blue’s laughter, not realizing what he had just admitted to. Blue looked as shocked as Keith felt at his outburst, but the words kept spilling out, exhaustion settling in over every thought in his mind all at once. 

 

“Hey, calm-”

 

“Don’t tell me to calm down!” he wasn’t any expert on psychology, but even as he spoke, he could tell the anger was a cover for the feelings he didn’t want to even try to understand flaring inside. “You have me locked in here with a hole in the leg in the middle of a fucking heist, so don’t tell me to calm down like I’m crazy!”

 

“What’s wrong with you?” Blue frowned. 

 

“What’s wrong with me is you shot me!” or had Keith forgotten to remember that as he was creeping over Blue’s body? Trusting Blue didn’t mean he had to like him. What was wrong with him? 

 

“Considering you asked me to-”

 

“You still shot me!” And Blue was right. He was right, goddammit, but Keith didn’t want to deal with it. This was too much in the grey area, context blurring everything that made sense. Why couldn’t things just be simpler? “You were supposed to kill me”

 

Blue got mad then, and Keith scrambled back, thinking for a second he’d fucked up for good now and he’d finish the job. And he must’ve looked panicked, because the boy slowed down, taking a breath before leaning down over him. 

 

“Let me remind you that you stuck a phone between your legs,” Blue bit out. “And here you are, alive and breathing when I was sent to  _ kill _ you”

 

“You didn’t kill me, but what did you do?” Keith glared as much as he could. “Did you tell him no? Yeah, you ‘saved’ me alright, after humiliating me in front of everyone and dumping me down here to rot like garbage. I have to shit in a bucket, I’m sick and in pain and I can’t  _ breathe _ ”

 

“You don’t get it,” Blue got even closer. “This was the only way to keep us both alive, and I  _ can’t _ die”

 

“Why the hell are you doing a heist then?” Keith snapped back, hand coming up to protect his stomach when he saw the anger in Blue’s eyes, just in case. “Where’s the sense in that?”

 

“I need the money,” Blue said in a low voice. “My  _ family _ needs the money. Keeping  _ you _ alive puts  _ them _ in danger, so you better be a little more fucking grateful I didn’t shoot you in the head instead”

 

Keith didn’t know what to say to that. 

 

“I’m sorry, okay?” Blue ran a hand down his face, sighing heavily. He looked exhausted. “I didn’t mean to humiliate you or… anything else I did. I just really don’t know what to do about…  _ you _ , really”

 

“I didn’t know,” Keith gave in. He’d already made up his mind about Blue, was just fighting him because he was too stressed to sit quietly and needed a way to get rid of the conflict within him. But looking at him now… it was impossible not to like him. 

 

“I’ll take you to the bathroom,” Blue stood up again, tying the arms of the jumpsuit firmly around his waist. “Come on, you can get cleaned up too”

 

Keith didn’t really believe in God.

 

But _ thank fucking God. _

 

It was really hard not to close his eyes and sigh at the idea of getting rid of the blood on his hair and the sweat on his body, but he managed just right as Blue helped him up. Before the boy could carry him though, Keith pushed him away, mumbling that he could walk alright and that  _ yes _ , he was sure. Standing wasn’t easy, per se, but it was manageable. 

 

At least until they reached the stairs.

 

Keith tried, he really did. The first step was alright, but as soon as he leaned all his weight on his bad leg to climb to the second step, he would’ve collapsed if it weren’t for Blue’s hands supporting his waist and placing him gently back onto the first step. It brought on a disgusting feeling of uselessness riding up his spine next to the ache, and the boy’s hand rubbing his side assuringly should’ve made it worse, but though Keith hated to admit it, the touch was making him feel better. 

 

“I can do it,” he tried to insist, but the statement sounded weak even to his own ears.

 

“I’m sure you could,” Blue assured him, turning him so his back was against the wall. “But too much stress could hurt the baby”   
  


“I’m plenty stressed already,” Keith mumbled as the boy picked him up again, giving up and letting his head rest on Blue’s shoulder as he waited for the pain to fade. 

 

“I’m so-”

 

“I think you’ve apologized plenty too,” he interrupted the boy. “It’s just a quick wash and bathroom trip. Let’s just… get this over with”

 

What could go wrong?

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> famous last words...


	8. The Boss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the first part of this chapter was ridiculously hard to write and i still hated how it ended up... 
> 
> still, enjoy !

The first thing that went wrong was Keith’s fault.

 

Blue quietly and obediently held him up as he washed his face and arms, closed his eyes at his insistence as Keith quickly washed his belly and back. 

 

As he did, he noticed two things: the first was that he was a very stupid man, and the second was that he had been in pain over his own stupidity. 

 

When he had complained to Blue that he couldn’t breathe, he had attested it to the closed room being saturated with too many disgusting smells. But now, as he pulled his shirt off, he finally realized just why he’d been in so much pain. The fucking  _ binder _ . How the hell had he forgotten about his fucking binder? When he lifted the edge a bit to see the damage, he winced at the dark bruising over his skin.

 

“I… uh,” Keith could see his face turning red in the mirror. “I need help”

 

“What’s wrong?” he could see Blue start to frown immediately and smiled a bit at his worrying. 

 

_ Down boy, _ he thought at his own heart.

 

“My binder”

 

“Oh, shit,” Blue winced. “I never even thought of that”

 

“Yeah,” Keith bit at his lip, trying to find a solution that didn’t involve Blue seeing him in his birthday suit. Well maybe he wouldn’t mind so-

 

_ Down, I said. _

 

“Look, just… I can’t take it off by myself,” he was starting to feel hot under the metaphorical collar, but he had to  _ focus _ , damn it. Blue’s hands steady on his waist weren’t helping at all with the inappropriate thoughts, but he pushed through. “I’m going to put your hands on the edge of it and you’re just going to pull okay?”

 

And that just made the thoughts flare up again. Christ, what the hell was wrong with him? But even if it wasn’t an ideal solution it was the only one he could think of, so he’d just have to distract himself with something else until they were done and he could huddle into some corner of the vault in a ball of conflict and distress.

 

It wasn’t easy.

 

Blue nodded, letting him stand on his good leg and holding out his hands for Keith to use as he pleased. Hoping that the boy wouldn’t notice his shaky grip, Keith guided them slowly over the edge of the fabric, mumbling out a final  _ don’t look _ before he gave the go-ahead to start pulling. As soon as the fabric came off over his head, he took a deep breath, feeling the air freely entering and filling his lungs like they hadn’t been able to for  _ days _ . Averting his gaze from his chest, he braced against the sink and coughed and coughed and coughed, and if he didn’t know it was impossible, he’d think his lungs were coming out with his spit. When he eventually stopped, he could feel the bruises pulling against his skin properly, but it was a huge update from feeling like he was about to faint every waking moment. 

 

“Can I-”

 

“No!” Keith almost shouted. He leaned over to pull his shirt on again but barely refrained from gagging at the sight of it. It was a  _ mess _ , soaked and splattered in blood and reeking of sweat and vomit, and he  _ really _ didn’t want to put it on over his now at least clean _ er _ skin. “Do you have another shirt?”

 

“Not really,” Blue didn’t say sorry, as Keith had asked him to, but his tone still implied it. “But I’ll give you my shirt if you want”

 

Blue really wasn’t helping with the whole crush-situation he’d let develop.

 

A quick look in the mirror informed him Blue’s shirt was way cleaner than his, and he agreed quickly, trying to erase the blush off his cheeks by pure willpower. He felt like a hypocrite watching the boy get undressed when Keith had asked him to close his eyes, but he couldn’t deny it was… a sight, to say the least. He pulled the fabric over his head and sighed at its warmth, thankful that the bagginess hid most of his chest and even the top of his thighs. 

 

The second thing that went wrong happened after he’d already closed the bathroom door. 

 

For a while, all he could hear was running water as Blue washed himself and the jumpsuit he’d demanded Keith take off so he could clean some of the blood off of, too. But after a while, he started to hear footsteps,  _ running _ footsteps. He leaned forward as what he recognized as Shiro’s voice joined the running water. 

 

The bathroom door was ceiling to floor, and shut it allowed very little sound through, especially as they were talking in what he assumed were hushed voices, as Keith could barely hear what they were saying. He was on edge, but he told himself not to worry too much about it.

 

Until more footsteps started approaching. 

 

That was definitely not good.

 

Keith hoped against hope that they would leave quickly, but soon enough he could hear the situation escalating, voices getting louder and angrier even through the door. He tensed, not daring to move an inch. 

Even though it was impossible for them to hear such a small sound such as him pulling up his underwear, the fear had him frozen still. 

 

A few minutes passed like hours, and then the last and worst thing he expected to happen happened: the door opened. 

 

Keith hurried to cover the last of his dignity as the light filtered in, panic settling in like an old friend as he looked up to see Boss smiling down at him, looking him all over with snake-like eyes. All of his senses screamed at him to run, hide or scream as loud as he could, but his body wouldn’t fucking  _ move _ , the thought of the man grabbing the gun on his side keeping him glued to the toilet like a useless statue. 

 

And then the Boss started laughing.

 

Keith didn’t even dare blink, watching as he turned to look off to the side in what he assumed was Blue’s direction. “I sent you to kill him on Friday and today… it’s Sunday,” and then he threw back his head and opened his arms wide. “ _ Resurrection Sunday _ ! Praise the lord… I’m sorry,” he said as he looked back at Keith, smile unwavering. “I don’t want to disrupt your privacy”

 

Then the door swung slowly shut.

 

What the fuck?

 

The click of the lock sliding into place kicked him into gear, and he quickly finished his business and pulled his pants up, adrenaline helping him stand without a wince and lean on the wall as he thought of what to do. But the answer was easy, really, easier than he wanted it to be. He couldn’t fight in fear of his baby’s safety, couldn’t run because of his fucked up leg or hide anywhere he wouldn’t be found in less than a day. And begging was out of the question, he hadn’t done it before and he wouldn’t do it now. 

 

All he could do was wait and see who opened the door. 

 

And it finally did swing open, it was to an absolute mess: the Boss pointing a gun at his face, Blue pointing one at his boss and at the Russian woman beside the man while  _ she _ pointed hers at Blue and Shiro pointed one at the Russian man. 

 

If one of those triggers pulled, they were  _ all _ dead.

 

“You know what weighs more?” the silver-haired man was asking Blue. Keith held his breath as he waited. If anyone was dying first it was either him or the Boss, and he didn’t want to move and win that race. 

 

“Life, surely,” the Boss said, and then the gun was pointing upwards instead of at his face. “Just this once, ladies and gentlemen. So let’s all put the guns down”

 

None of them listened, not until the other white-haired robber strutted suddenly into the room. “What are you doing?” she frowned at all of them, eyes widening when they settled on him. “You’re  _ alive _ ?”

 

“Like the flowers that grow on cracked pavement,” the Boss announced proudly, gesturing at him to get out of the stall. Blue’s gun had started to lower, but the second the Boss’ hands touched him they straightened again. 

 

“Put it  _ down _ , Blue,” the woman said sternly. “You too, Black,” at that, Keith turned to watch Shiro closely, holding his gaze as he did. He seemed almost as tense as Blue, eyes flickering between him and the Boss rapidly, a small bead of sweat running down his temple.

 

“I’m okay,” Keith nodded at Shiro, turning to look at Blue too. “It’s fine. Just… put them down”

 

“You see?” the Boss smirked as they slowly set them down. “Listen to the man. He’s a survivor, this one”

 

What a fucking mess.

 

* * *

 

Keith could keep his calm.

 

Aside from the whole getting-shot-in-the-leg debacle, he considered himself to be very capable of keeping his cool.

 

Keith had read that speech in front of everyone without flinching, only had a minor breakdown when he was faced with his long lost brother, stood still in the bathroom stall as another gun was pointed at his face, kept quiet and said his name into the phone even with Boss breathing down his neck and Shiro’s iron grip on his back and thighs…

 

“What the  _ fuck _ do you want?”

 

But when faced with Ian, the man who’d gotten him shot in the first place in some sort of suicide mission he was thrust upon without his consent, the anger that consumed him made him lose his composure completely. All he wanted to do was storm over and punch him, see his stupid face bleeding like he’d made Keith bleed. 

 

_ A surprise _ , Boss had said. They appeared to have very distinct perspectives on the nature of surprises, mainly on the fact that they were supposed to make you feel happy. Or they had distinct definitions of what  _ happy _ meant.

 

“I thought they killed you,” Ian was smiling, but to Keith it looked more like a grimace, and he was sweating and trembling like a sick dog. 

 

_ This is the father of my child, _ Keith thought,  _ and this is the last time I’ll see him as that.  _

 

“Whose fault was that?” he bit out. Partly because he couldn’t help himself and partly because he wanted to see his reaction.

 

“I’m so sorry, ba-”   
  


“Don’t call me that,” god, if he had to listen to  _ one _ more pet name-

 

“But I am,” Ian wouldn’t stop smiling. Keith could see it still, that  _ older _ and  _ stronger _ appeal that he’d fallen for, the power trip he’d gotten sleeping around with the boss of the country’s most important factory… “I can’t believe you’re alive,” he stepped closer then. Keith stepped back. And back and back until he felt the door against his back. “They told me you were dead, but here you are. You look so beauti-”

 

“I don’t want to hear it,” Ian kept getting closer. Keith was starting to get very uncomfortable. “I don’t want anything to do with you-”

 

“Are you still mad?” Ian frowned, but that gross smirk spread over his face again. “Come on, baby-”

 

“I said don’t call me that,” Keith was sick of this. He turned over to open the door, honestly preferring guns to the torture of standing in Ian’s presence. It was a bad idea apparently, because Ian took it as an invitation to invade his space further. And the door was locked. 

 

Fuck. 

 

Keith utterly refused to be touched by what he now considered a stranger, and at the first graze to his hips, his knee-jerk reaction had his elbow flying straight backwards, aiming for the neck like Shiro had taught him so long ago. He had a second to be proud of himself for how quick it was before realizing it hadn’t landed correctly, and before he could turn around to see, his arm was being pressed next to his face against the very door he was trying to open. 

 

Oh,  _ great _ . Another thing he’d forgotten he liked about Ian: the man was fucking strong. And Keith wasn’t any twig, he could probably hold his own against a man that size, could remember turning the tables on his brusque manhandling and taking the reins with ease back in their weekly affairs But the fever had stolen all of his strength, and he was tired from the adrenaline rush and withdrawal from the bathroom situation just before, his pulsing leg now accompanied by the ache in his ribs.

 

It already hurt to move. How the hell was he supposed to buck off a man like Ian?

 

“Get the hell  _ off _ me,” he protested. He wasn’t in the least bit surprised to find the man’s breath down his neck felt very similar to the Boss’. “ _ Now _ ”

 

“I always liked you feisty,” the man laughed behind him, other hand sneaking over his stomach, rubbing up and then down slowly, making his skin crawl beneath the touch. “You think our baby will be like that too?”

 

Keith was officially done.

 

“Get the fuck off me!” he yelled. It seemed to startle Ian, his grip getting loose enough for him to sneak out of it, letting him use the little strength he had left to throw his head back as hard as he could. There was a satisfying  _ crunch _ , and then the heat on his back disappeared and Keith was free, quickly turning to enjoy the pain in Ian’s face and the blood running down his nose. 

 

“You  _ bitch _ ,” the man struggled to bite out, hands muffling the sound as he clutched at his surely broken nose. “What the hell is your problem?”

 

“You touch me again and it’s your hands I’ll break” Keith snarled. “And that inch you call your manhood”

 

“Listen here,” oh no. Ian was storming towards him again. “You better apologize or-”   
  


“Hey!” Keith hadn’t even heard the door open, but he was thankful to see Shiro besides him, hand already steady on the gun at his side. “What’s going on in here?”

 

Ian mellowed immediately, shoulders hunching and hands coming off his face to gesture meekly. All high and mighty with a man half his size but almost shaking at the sight of Shiro. What a fucking coward. Keith felt his leg giving out and looked down to see blood already soaking the pant leg from the stress of moving too much too soon. When Shiro felt him leaning on him for support, he immediately turned his attention back on Keith, forgetting to point his gun in order to hold him up properly. 

 

Keith was thankful, but his rage was still simmering dangerously, feelings resurfacing at having his brother so close to him again combining with the bitter hurt of betrayal at being left with Ian like that. As soon as they were out of the room he shook out of his hands, not even flinching at the hurt look on Shiro’s face but staring him down as the man fumbled to try to get a grip on him again. 

 

“What are you-”

 

“I’m just starting to forgive you for leaving me behind,” Shiro froze at that, hands dropping from where he had been reaching out to help him stand. “But if you  _ ever _ let him near me again, I’ll make sure you never see me again after this”

 

“Keith, I didn’t-”

 

“Do you understand me?” this was non-negotiable. 

 

Shiro sighed and nodded. “Okay. I’m sorry”

 

“Good,” now that Ian was dealt with, the pain in his leg was starting to settle in. Must’ve been the adrenaline of the moment. “Now help me stitch this leg back up”   
  


“Okay,” he smiled then, and Keith couldn’t help the warmth that settled over him, the anger slowly slowly starting to fade away. 

 

Shiro would take care of him. 

  
  



	9. Monday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sex.

Keith really deserved that Oscar Boss had mentioned the first day of the heist. 

 

Apparently, the inspector in charge had wanted proof of the hostages’ well-being, had somehow gotten the robbers to agree to her personally going in for a check-up. Boss had them walking down the stairs and down a hallway like a mock runway, parading and modeling their good health. It had been pure luck that assured Keith’s leg was steady enough to walk for a little while by himself by the time it was his turn to go down, and he didn’t miss the  _ don’t you dare mention the gunshot wound  _ in the Boss’ eyes, even if Shiro had already told him that before.

 

It was truly a wonder what a perfect hostage he was. Who knew a baby, a brand new brother and a certain someone called Blue were all it took to make him resilient?

 

“I’m just dizzy,” he shrugged when the inspector asked him if he was okay, relishing in the minute panic that sparked in the Boss’ eyes.  “But that’s just because I’m pregnant”

 

_ Relatively _ resilient.

 

Even if her little speech about how  _ children always go forward _ almost made him roll his eyes out of his head, he had to admit it was a little sweet, making a small ball of pride swell up in his chest. And he had to smile at her comment of how the problems started appearing when they got older. It seemed like she was talking from personal experience, parent to parent. 

 

When he was led down to the second vault again instead of with the panicking woman and  _ him _ , Keith sighed in relief. If Shiro hadn’t taken his threat seriously, he wouldn’t have known what to do, because he definitely would’ve ended up punching Ian in the face just for daring to breathe in his direction. 

 

The vault was cleaner too, for a change. Keith almost kneeled and praised the lord, but he settled on thanking Shiro for it.

 

“Oh, that was all Blue,” the man dismissed, putting down a final blanket to make the floor a little more comfortable.

 

Keith’s heart fluttered inside his chest. Christ, he was unbelievable, but there was nothing he could do about it, or for the smile that spread on his lips at the thought. It was like the goodness leaked out of the boys’ pores or something, making Keith’s fondness keep growing and growing until his body was forced to react to it and got released out for the world to see in ridiculous smiles and burning cheeks.

 

It got even worse when Blue came to visit him.

 

The boy had a radiant smile on his face as he burst in through the door, making Keith’s own lips twist up shyly. He was carrying a plate stacked up high of what looked like food, and he kneeled close by his side. Being touchy wasn’t exactly Keith’s thing, but after so many days of being held and comforted, even if he had been feverish and most of the memories were blurry, his body seemed to remember Blue’s presence. And he really wanted to be surprised when Keith himself was the one who closed the distance further, but it just felt right to do so. 

 

“Took you long enough,” he teased, enjoying the moment of panic in Blue’s eyes when he thought he might’ve upset him and how his lips pulled back into a smile immediately, sighing dramatically.

 

“Well, Mister Kogane,” Blue smirked. “It’s taken me long to find a meal appropriate for your expensive taste. I’ve brought you a  _ truly _ impressive feast,” starting to pick things off his plate and describing them like a waiter at a fancy restaurant. “We have this sandwich that… well. I ate it and survived, so… it should be fine”

 

And Keith laughed. It was a stupid joke but it made him huff and roll his eyes. When they set on Blue the boy was so close and his eyes were shining with so much mirth and care at the same time, looking at him as if they had been close for a long time. The edges were wrinkled in happiness, and his eyebrows were so expressive, pulling together and going up as he spoke, putting on a show to make him laugh.

 

It made his heart melt. 

 

“We have a chocolate pastry, because I like them a lot. And I also brought some candy and these cookies… uh,” Blue swallowed when he looked away from the food and up at him, and Keith followed the movement of his throat for just a second before going back up to look at his pretty eyes only to realize they kept flicking down to-

 

Oh. 

 

“I got them gluten-free in case… you know,” Blue’s voice was getting lower, breathier the longer they looked at each other. “I thought… you might be celiac or something. Like a lot of people are and… and… ”

 

And it was that comment, that small, silly comment that was so ridiculous and sincere at the same time that had Keith eyes dropping and closing the distance between them.  

 

Blue was shocked still. For a moment Keith wondered if he had royally fucked up, but the thought was gone the moment Blue dropped the cookies and started kissing back, hands holding his face as if he was made of glass and kissing back deeply. Apparently, all of his frustration and misguided feelings had paid off in the end.

 

They didn’t have a bed to fall back on, but he settled with the floor. 

 

Keith didn’t let Blue take his shirt off completely because he wasn’t comfortable without his binder on, but that didn’t mean the boy’s hands weren’t allowed to roam freely under the material. It felt amazing to finally have Blue’s hands all over him, holding him so gently yet so surely against him, always careful and making sure he was comfortable. 

 

Keith had slept with a lot of people before Ian, but even with his boss he’d never had slow sex. Some had tried, but it always felt like something was wrong, like an x was missing from the equation that ended up with Keith always taking control of the situation. Now, as Blue moved above him, he understood why. The boy had been the first person aside from his only family to make him feel  _ loved _ , that made him feel like he could let go and there’d be nothing but warm arms waiting for him below.

 

It was heaven.

 

Maybe it had been guilt, but even since before Blue shot him, the boy had been so present for Keith. He was like the opposite of a stain, sparkling cleanly from the mess of a situation he was in. Blue was kind, and he’d saved his life. He didn’t have to do that, had even explained that it could have cost him his own family’s  _ health _ . But he’d still done it, and if that didn’t prove he was a good guy, Keith didn’t know what could. 

 

And if that wasn’t all, Blue was even better in bed than Ian. 

 

The boy was everywhere, one hand holding him up and the other spreading heat all along his body, rubbing and pressing all the right places like a trained professional and making him sing. He was young and patient, moving like he had all the time in the world to make a memorable night. 

 

Even if Ian boss was strong, he was still old, and Keith had had to deal with… performance issues before. And even when he didn’t, he only cared about himself, using him eagerly and leaving Keith to take care of his own pleasure. The only time he’d ever promised to help, Ian had ended up falling asleep before Keith could even get him between his legs. 

 

Why did he even sleep with the man in the first place?

 

For the life of him, he couldn’t remember.

 

Blue smoked as he slid Keith’s underwear back up his legs, plucking the fag off his mouth for just a second to lay a small kiss on his stomach. The action made Keith dizzy with affection. 

 

“I’d offer you a cigarette but…” Blue shrugged as he settled back against one of the boxes, opening his arms for him to lean back on. 

 

A gentleman all through and after. 

 

What a surprise.

 

Keith was happy and giddy against his chest, letting the afterglow do its thing and relax all of his muscles, letting him sink completely against Blue’s warm skin. For a second he almost forgot he was…  

 

Oh, yeah. Still in the middle of a heist.

 

“What do you think the morning before a heist?” his mouth ran off before he could hold it.

 

Keith felt the boy shake his head above him. “I don’t know. Nothing special really. Why do you ask?”

 

“Because you’ve got to have a real pair to do something like this,” Keith felt Blue’s laughter under his ear, a low sound coming straight out of his chest. 

 

“What, like you?” 

 

Keith turned his head to look up at Blue then. 

 

“I had an affair with a married man to avoid failure or being dumped,” Keith shrugged. “And I’ve been following orders from you blindly, not even trying to escape…”

 

“Are you kidding me?” Keith frowned, why was Blue looking at him so stunned? “You stole a cell phone in the middle of a heist”

 

“Only because Ian scared me into doing it-”

 

“You made me shoot you in the leg!”

 

“It was the only way to-”

 

“Boss literally pointed a gun straight at your  _ face _ ,” Blue cut him off, letting a big breath out, and shifting him a little to look at him better. “ _ And _ you had the guts to kiss me… and then to fuck me... “ Keith felt his face flushing red at that. “You have to be a brave bastard to fuck some loser in a Dali mask”

 

“Some loser it was,” Keith laughed as Blue nudged him slightly, leaning down to lay a small kiss on his head right after and settling against him.

 

“Actually I…” and Keith couldn’t see him anymore, but he could recognize sadness from a mile away. “I called my mom”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Yeah… I had some doubts. But as soon as I heard her voice over the phone, I remembered what it was all for. My family… it’s the most important thing, you know?” Keith didn’t, but he nodded against Blue’s chest, not wanting to upset him anymore. “And here I am. And somehow I got to meet the most wonderful man in all this mess”

 

“And what did you do before this?” Keith asked as an answer.

 

“Some sales. I was a guard once… some stuff in the chemical industry. Oh, I also danced in a club”

 

“You’re fucking with me”

 

“Really!” Blue insisted, sitting up a little. “There were chicks dancing in cages and everything”

 

“I don’t believe you”

 

“You will,” Blue got a manic grin on his face, getting up quickly. “Give me a minute, okay?” 

 

Keith mourned the loss of his pillow, but he agreed.

 

And God, was it worth it.

 

Blue was ridiculous. 

 

As soon as he got the small boombox playing music, he started what could only be called a performance. Keith couldn’t hold in his crazy smiling as he saw Blue pulling up the collar of the red jumpsuit in a poor imitation of Elvis and dancing like it never stopped being the 80’s, pulling moves Keith would never believe he got from anyone but an old, old man with a really poor sense of dance. 

 

It wasn’t what he was promised, but it was endearing to watch as Blue stuck out his lips and pretended to smash a guitar. And when he turned sideways to shimmy in his direction, shooting him with a dazzling smile and pointing at him like his number one fan in a concert, Keith’s face ached with laughter. 

 

_ Ridiculously _ irresistible.

 

As the boy fell lower on his knees, Keith didn’t waste any time, surprising him by tugging at that stupid raised collar to pull him in. Blue caught on quickly, laying them back onto the floor with a renewed animosity, grinding against Keith like he’d die if he didn’t. Ian always made him feel wanted, and he’d always thought that was enough. But Blue made him feel needed.

 

It was like the best kind of drug.

 

And like any, it made him lower his inhibitions, had him sliding out of his pants like they were on fire. Blue’s passion injected the sugar rush he needed after they’d already gone at it for what felt like hours, but where last time felt like they had endless amounts of time, now it felt like there wasn’t any to waste. The boy was like a walking wet dream, seemed to know exactly what to do and when to do it, changing gears to the tune of Keith’s motor of a brain and helping him run smoothly. 

 

It was giving him whiplash.

 

But just like euphoria, it blinded his senses, which is why he didn’t hear the vault’s door opening. 

 

Why when Blue suddenly stopped, he could only whisper up at him to go faster and didn’t register the confused look on his face.

 

And it was only Blue pulling out and putting on the very clothes he’d almost ripped off him hastily back on that had him opening his eyes to frown up and to the side.

 

Only to see Ian standing by the door looking like he’d just seen his wife get hit by a truck.

 

Which was probably what it felt like to find your lover had his own lover, and that lover was one of the very robbers that were keeping them both hostage.

 

What a mess.  


	10. Blue

Apparently, it was so much of a shock that Ian literally vomited.

 

But Keith didn’t really mind. All he wanted was to find Shiro and ask _why_?

 

The man made it worse when he spoke. “Was this monster raping you?”

 

“What the fuck?” Keith stood quickly, leaning against the metal shelves and shuffling back, putting as much distance between them as his tired and disoriented body allowed him to. “Of course he fucking wasn’t”

 

“You’re cheating on me, then?”

 

Was he serious? Keith didn’t even want to ask.

 

“What is he doing here?” he instead asked the Russian guy that had escorted him down.

 

“He was worried,” the man shrugged, a small smile betraying his amusement at the situation.

 

“Well I’m fine,” he bit out. “So get him out of here”

 

“No”

 

Keith was actually going to punch him.

 

“Out,” he stressed. “ _Now_ ”

 

“I’m not taking orders from a fucking-”

 

“That’s enough of you,” Blue stood between them, blocking the retch from his sight but not doing anything to quell his indignation at the situation.

 

But that was the wrong thing to do, apparently, because suddenly Ian was stalking over at them with a vengeance, throwing a tantrum and screaming that he’d kill Blue, ordering that Keith get out of the room or he’d kill them _both_. And at first Keith refused to go. If the asshole wanted to get his ass handed back to him, he wanted to sit and watch. But Blue had just smiled and told him to go to the bathroom, a request he only followed because of how tired he was of Ian and all of his bullshit. The farthest he could be from the guy, the better he’d probably feel.

 

And he had to pee.

 

The bathroom seemed to trigger moments of crisis, though, because he hadn’t even finished washing his hands when he heard the distinct sound of an explosion going off. Keith didn’t have any time to think after that, the now familiar panic reigning free on his mind sprouting a million questions he didn’t have time to answer.

 

What the hell had that been? Were the robbers blowing up the place? Had something gone wrong? Was Blue safe?

 

By the time he arrived at the vault his leg had begun to burn from the strain and Blue looked like he’d seen a ghost.

 

Oh, God. What now?

 

“Did you know?” was the first thing out of the boy’s mouth.

 

“Was that an explosion?” Keith replied as an answer. His heart was starting to relax after seeing Blue was alive, but it went back to beating like crazy when he nodded. There had been an explosion and the robbers hadn’t been aware of it, hadn’t planned it… _“_ Shiro,” he blurted out. Keith was still mad, but like hell was he going to lose him before he’d even had the time to get used to having him back.

 

“But you-”

 

“I’ll be safe here,” Keith insisted, holding onto Blue and just barely resisting the urge to shake him exasperatedly, instead taking the calmer approach and trying to convey as much sincerity as he could onto his voice to portray his near pleading. “Please just- I need to know that he’s safe,” but Blue still looked hesitant. “I can’t be stressed remember? I can’t calm down until I know he’s safe. I need you to go check on him”

 

He felt bad for guilt-tripping Blue, but Keith didn’t know how else to get him to leave him there and _go_. And he didn’t have time to regret it either, because as soon as he’d said it, Blue nodded firmly and ran out of the vault.

 

_They’ll be okay,_ he told himself, over and over and over. The robbers were smart. Their plan had gone smoothly so far, considering how impossible it was, so they could handle whatever was going on now, right?

 

 

* * *

 

  
  


Waiting was agony, but it was worth it when Blue came in all dusty and apologizing for taking so long, not even waiting for Keith to ask before confirming his brother was alive and well. He left for a few more minutes to clean the grime off while Keith finally relaxed, coming back looking like he’d fall over from how tired he was and collapsing immediately.

 

Keith let him lay his head on his intact thigh, listening carefully as Blue told him how the hostages had tried to escape, taking out one of the robbers and setting off the explosion to blow a wall and get the hell out. The boy sounded so sad as he spoke about the robber, saying they hadn’t talked much but that he felt sorry for his girlfriend, the Russian girl. Keith didn’t know him at all, all he knew was that he’d been the guy that brought Ian down before it all went down, but his death still shocked him a little.

 

It could’ve been any of them, after all.

 

After Blue passed out, the quiet of the vault got him thinking.

 

16 hostages had escaped. Keith hadn’t even thought about them in the past few days, time consumed by his injury and found affair. It was weird to think of himself as part of them, even though he’d been pointed at by more guns that he could count and even shot, for Christ’s sake. Keith had only been doing his job when a bunch of crazy men in Dali masks came in to shoot up the place. He’d been bloodied and carried around like a rag doll all around the factory, threatened and harassed by a man he’d called a lover, locked in a cell and made to pee and shit in a bucket like an animal.

 

And still, in the very same place, he’d willingly spread his legs for Blue, like the boy had been a guy he’d picked up in a bar instead of one of the robbers holding him hostage.

 

Oh god, Keith was having an affair with a criminal.

 

What was he thinking?

 

And he didn’t even have time to dwell on it. He went to sleep with that disturbing thought, and as soon as he woke up the next day, Blue had suddenly sprung him with the question.

 

Freedom or one million dollars?

 

It was harder to answer than when Ian had drunkenly asked him to marry him.

 

“I have to get out,” he confessed, not daring to look at Blue as he did. It was the logical answer, the _only_ answer that made any sense whatsoever. “I have to see a gynecologist. I need vitamins and… and I have to get my leg fixed”

 

“I know” Keith peeked up to look at Blue. The boy looked as conflicted as he felt, struggling against his next words. “And the million… you don’t have to worry about it”

 

Keith blinked at him, confused out of his mind. “What do you mean?”

 

“It’s not healthy for you to be here,” Blue looked determined but… sad. The smile looked awkward on his face, words too forced and contrasting starkly against his frown. “The stress-”

 

“Isn’t good for the baby, I know,” Keith ran a hand through his hair. They both agreed, so why was this so hard? “It’s just… the million,” it would help so much. If he could just hang on a few more days, then he could be set for a long time. For life even, if he added the money he could make off interviews. It made sense.

 

But.

 

“You don’t have to worry about the money”

 

“What?”

 

“I’ll send it to you anyway,” Blue’s smile was getting warmer. “Like I said. Enough to buy diapers for a lifetime, right?” _You don’t have to do that_ , Keith wanted to say. But- “It’s the least I could do,” he finished in a small voice filled with guilt.

 

Blue was right. _Keith_ was right. He had the chance to get out of a situation that could get him killed _and_ still end up with enough money to live the rest of his days comfortably.

 

Everything that had happened on vault two would remain between them. Blue would become nothing but a hitch in his breath and nervous twitching for his therapist to decode, another memory to haunt his dreams. He’d probably never see Shiro again anyways, and even as smart as whoever put this together was, it wouldn’t matter because they could all still end up dead in the end.

 

And yet.

 

Keith had never been one to torture himself wondering about all of the mistakes he’d made, all of them mundane choices that wouldn’t have altered his future drastically. But this… he had a feeling this particular _what if_ would keep him awake for the rest of his life.

 

“Do you want me to go?”

 

“Of course. You have to-“

 

“Forget about me,” Keith shook his head. He didn’t know what he was doing, but it felt right. “Do _you_ want me to go?” Blue was staring at him. He seemed to be evaluating the situation in his head. But Keith didn’t want a thought out answer, he wanted the truth. Yes or no. Stay or go.

 

“Blue,” he hurried. He needed to know. “Do you want me to go?”

 

But Blue wasn’t having any of it. He leaned closer and held Keith’s face between his hands, looking so deeply into his eyes he couldn’t help but stare back.

 

“I miss you,” Blue whispered. “Every time. I leave and… I feel so much better here”

 

_With you,_ Blue didn’t have to say. _I feel so much better here… with you._

 

Keith didn’t talk. It was enough for him to make a decision, but Blue still wanted to say something.

 

“My name…it’s Lance”

 

It wasn’t really that he’d said it, but what it meant that he did. A vital part of the plan was the anonymity of the robbers. They hid behind masks when they faced the police and called each other codenames. Lance’s name was more than a way to prove he trusted Keith, more than another thing that connected them in ways he didn’t with most.

 

It was insurance. A contract and a question at the same time. Lance’s name was the only way to put him behind bars. Keith could just go out and sell him out to the papers, be recognized as a national hero probably. But it was also an outstretched hand, an offer for Keith to consider.

 

Blue was the calmest of the robbers and Keith the most troublesome of the hostages. And in that contradiction, they met halfway. Blue had been no-one to him, and Keith was no-one to him right back, and yet they had gone through more in 60 hours than simple friendships went through in a lifetime.

 

His name was an invitation.

 

Keith stayed.

 

* * *

 

 

“What the fuck is the matter with you?”

 

Their heartfelt confession had seemed to simmer out from Lance’s mind. Apparently, it had taken him 60 hours to fall in love and joke about getting married and 20 more to look so gloom Keith would suspect they _were_ married and he wanted a divorce already.

 

If this is what it was like in the span of a day, he couldn’t think about how it was for actual marriages.

 

It also made Keith’s cheeks burn, thoughts of how stupid and naive he’d been to think this was a good idea starting to flood his ears from the inside out. He’d been happy and almost giddy counting money, thinking that had been one of the best decisions he’d made in his life. But then Lance had pulled him aside to treat his leg, and one look at his face was all it took to confirm there was something wrong, seriously enough to make him feel nervous.

 

So he tried to… offer comfort. They had been interrupted by Ian and a hostage escape the last time, and he'd wanted to fuck the adrenaline out of his system for a while now.

 

And there he was, bent over a desk and rejected without a second glance after risking his life to stay with Lance…

 

Keith didn’t have time for mind games. He was tired and pregnant and not even wearing his pants on, but he was angry more than everything. Whatever this was, they were going to fix it _now_ , no matter how determined Lance was on keeping his eyes completely elsewhere from his body when he turned around and leaned on the desk, resting the stupid leg that had started to hurt already.

 

“Look at me,” Keith grit out. But he couldn’t help but soften his voice at Lance’s sad, conflicted eyes. “Tell me what’s wrong”

 

Lance’s fingers wrapped around his calves as if he was going to stand up, but he didn’t even shift from his kneeling position. “What’s wrong is that I am a robber and you are my hostage”

 

“We’ve been over this already,” Keith rubbed at his arm self-consciously. Wait… _Had_ they discussed that?

 

He wasn’t sure if he was saying that to assure Lance or himself, anyway.

 

“You’re here against your will,” correct. “ _I_ have you here against your will,” …well, yes. “You have a syndrome”

 

Oh. That.

 

Keith wasn’t that stupid, was he?

 

“You… liking me,” that wasn’t the word and they both knew it. “It’s a defense mechanism”

 

“It’s bullshit,” he protested immediately. “It can’t be,” but it could. It very well could.

 

Keith _had_ thought about it before, only not explicitly. As soon as Lance had shot him, he remembered thinking it precisely: that if he wanted to live he had to trust Lance. That Lance was the only way to survive this situation, that he was different from the others, just a boy caught in the mess, just as he was. Keith had decided that he wouldn’t even tell anyone about him if he got out… all because they had been through so much together.

 

“And if we had crossed ways on the street?” Lance was smiling, but it looked like Keith felt: defeated. “Would you have looked at me for more than two seconds?”

 

No, he probably wouldn’t have.

 

“But-“

 

“Just… don’t,” Lance finally stood then, but his hands had dropped from Keith’s body. They were clenched on the sides of his thighs, holding on for dear life. Away from him… If he was struggling to keep his hands to himself while standing in front of him, that meant something. Lance was trying to be good, to leave him alone and get over his… syndrome.

 

But that just wasn’t going to happen.

 

Even if he had it, it couldn’t happen. Keith remembered thinking that he was the only way to stay alive, yes, but he also remembered feeling completely safe. It wasn’t an automatic switch on his mind to trust Lance, he’d thought about it intensely, it had been a sincere decision. It might’ve been true at the start when he was delusional and sick, but after he’d healed, sat alone on the vault… he hadn’t been in danger anymore.

 

How could loving Lance be a defense mechanism if Keith didn’t perceive him as danger?

 

Lance had started to walk away.

 

Keith wouldn’t let him.

 

“Do you feel something for me?”

 

That stopped him alright. “I don’t have a syndrome,” he protested immediately.

 

“You might as well,“ and once he’d started he couldn’t stop, insecurities getting the best of him. “I guilt-tripped you into not shooting me, and then what? How do you deal with shooting me pregnant? How do you deal with me getting sick and close to death? All of this is your fault and you know it. You may as well have a syndrome because you wouldn’t have looked at me twice otherwise. So what’s your excuse? Why do _you_ like _me_?”

 

Lance got angry then, storming back in front of him. “My feelings are _real_ . I am guilty, but I don’t sleep with people because I pity them,” Keith’s breath was getting heavier as he talked, heart already pounding at his words and getting louder by the second. “I like you because you’re the bravest asshole I’ve ever met. And the smartest too, which is why _I_ can’t be the reason you lose your head”

 

“Okay. You _like_ me,” Keith shook his head, but he didn’t dare shift his eyes, planning to burn the truth out of Lance if it was the last thing he did. “But why did you _fuck_ me?”

 

“I fucked you because I _don’t_ like you,” but it wasn’t said in a cruel way. The boy smiled then, and his hand finally settled on Keith’s cheek, not holding or restricting, but simply resting there. Just skin warming skin, the need for contact unspoken but present between them. “I fucked you because I’m crazy about you”

 

Just like that.

 

The blinds were already down, so they just had to lock the door.


	11. Tuesday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im team iron man but it just seemed funny

Keith needed a fucking cigarette.

 

For the first commotion, he’d been stuck in the safety of a bathroom and then locked away in vault two. After being shot, Keith thought there was no way the heist couldn’t get any worse.

 

And yet.

 

Everything had been fine before Lance pulled him up from the vault for some words with the Boss. The hostages that were left had all gathered on the stairs as he prattled about how well they’d been doing and how it was going to be over soon and for them to keep cooperating. Keith sat on the opposite side of the room from Ian, avoiding everyone's eyes as he waited for it to be over, stealing glances over at Lance to pass the time.

 

But as soon as it was just the boy left watching over them, all hell broke loose. 

 

All was silent one second, and then suddenly Ian was up and over, holding a gun to Lance’s nose with vengeful eyes. At first, Keith didn’t buy it. How could he? It was like a replay of that first day. He was so sure that the gun was fake that he patiently enjoyed the small dick-measuring contest between the two as they stared each other down, honestly ready to watch Ian’s brain blown all over the carpet, as harsh as that sounded. 

 

And then Lance’s gun clicked.

 

Just clicked. 

 

That wasn’t good. 

 

Keith jumped up immediately, ready to run for his life in the opposite direction, hide and wait to see what happened afterwards. But just as he turned to look to the staircase that at the end offered the relative familiarity of vault two, there was a waving gun in his face again. For a moment he expected to see one of the robbers on the other side, heroically returned to stop the escape just in time and save the day. But this time, his eyes widened when he saw Ian was on the other side of the barrel. 

 

What an asshole.

 

Keith didn’t even waste his breath on insulting the guy, knowing it was all futile in the end, and just followed along with the crowd as they hurried to the doors, all the way trying to communicate his hate at Ian by glaring as hard as he could. 

 

It was… an intense affair. And for the few excruciating minutes it took for it to end, for a second he genuinely wondered if they were going to make it. If he got out, what would he do? After so much thinking and considering and fighting with Lance, would he dare to run out after the hostages? Or would he stay? Thankfully (or not), the door didn’t open when someone pressed the button to it, and soon the other robbers were storming in to settle the situation.

 

They were being pointed up by multiple machine guns, and though the hostages outnumbered the robbers, their force consisted of teenagers, old men and two pregnant people. Surely it would all end now, he could see it on everyone's faces, and Ian seemed to know this too. But there was an exasperation in his stance that hadn’t been there before, and when he noticed it, Keith knew the man had one final surprise left in him.

 

And then the gun was pointing back at Lance, Ian pressing the metal just above the boy’s ear and swearing to god that he’d shoot right then and there if the robbers didn’t open the door.

 

Keith’s heart damn near stopped.

 

And then Ian started counting down.

 

Anger bled his vision red. He was sick of Ian and his little games, sick of being shuffled around and threatened and made to follow like a dog. So with a renowned strength, he made his choice. Lance had made the offer the day before, when he gave Keith his name, and now he was going to take initiative and sign his name down. Plucking one of the poles off the ground, he swung it with all his might, not even thinking of the trigger-happy robbers, feeling proud of himself as he stared down at Ian as he moaned and groaned on the ground. 

 

Everyone was looking at him. Keith, the pregnant secretary turned accomplice.

 

_ One of them _ , they whispered nervously.  _ He’s one of them. _

 

Shiro and Lance stood before him as he paced, nerves settling in now that he could properly think, their faces mirrors of the two sides battling for control in his head.

 

To stay or to go.

 

“Accomplice of those who shot me,” he shrugged, a little helplessly. Keith wasn’t panicking, exactly, but he wasn’t calm either. His hands were still shaking though, so maybe that was a defense mechanism to keep him from stressing  _ too _ much. It was probably better that way. Stress wasn’t good for the baby. “Now if I get out I’m truly fucked”

 

“Ian is still the father,” Shiro soothed him, smiling reassuringly. “He’ll help you in court”

 

“The father… what father?” he pulled at his hair slightly, starting to pace the room. He was really screwed. “I probably just caused him permanent brain damage. He couldn’t help me even if he wanted to. He-”

 

“ _ He _ doesn’t matter,” Lance stressed. “You can come with us. You already crossed the line-”

 

“Lance,” Shiro reprimanded. “He could still get out. You could tell the police you have Stockholm syndrome. Everything would work out”

 

It would, wouldn’t it? 

 

But that wasn’t what he wanted.

 

Keith stopped pacing. 

 

Now that he really thought about it… there was no way he was going back. He’d been alone all of his life, wandering aimlessly, having an affair for the fuck of it. Now he had a chance to be part of something, to be with Lance, with his brother… “I’m going with you,” he said determined, looking at Lance for reassurance and loving the pleased look on his face. “It’s just…” He’d already made his decision. As soon as he’d picked up that pole, he’d known but his brain was still reeling… it was probably the adrenaline. 

 

“I really need a cigarette,” he tried asking. 

 

The pointed look from Shiro was enough of an answer.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“Steve”

 

“No”

 

“Robert”

 

“No”

 

“Chris”

 

“No”

 

“Jake”

 

“No”

 

“Chris”

 

“You already said that”

 

“John?”

 

“No”

 

“Chris”

 

“No, what the fuck?” Keith turned to scowl at Lance. “What is it with you and the name Chris?”

 

Kid names better be easier to pick than this shit.

 

“Chris is a handsome name,” Lance shrugged, starting to spin on his chair. 

 

“I don’t… look like a Chris?” this argument… why? Just,  _ why? _ He began to fill out the other data on the passport, changing the dates only slightly so it wouldn’t be so hard to believe it was real. It had been Lance’s idea to make one, blabbering about how good quality the fakes would be and only rolling his eyes slightly when Keith pointed out it was because they were  _ actual _ passports.

 

At first, Keith hadn’t wanted to make them. It made him a little nervous, the idea of travelling and paying and existing with another name that wasn’t his own. It hit a little too close to home for him, but Lance was right. It would be terribly useful for when they got out of the bank as, you know, actual fucking outlaws.

 

What was the plan again? 

 

“I think I’m starting to regret this,” Keith joked. A nagging little voice on the back of his head reminded him jokes were only funny if they were based on real things. Maybe it wasn’t funny…

 

Lance laughed.

 

Shit.

 

“No looking back, baby,” he wheeled over behind Keith and threw his head back to hang over his shoulder. “And you’re a handsome guy. You could pull Chris flawlessly,” he chuckled again, but after a pointed look his way, Lance turned his head and kissed at his neck in an apologetic way. 

 

Keith could tell he wanted to actually apologize again, could see the millions of questions about his being sure on his clear blue eyes. But he seemed to remember his promise not to and kept his mouth shut, nose nuzzling at a sensitive spot under his jaw and making him squirm.

 

He knew he could still back out. It was just a lot to process very fast.

 

“What about a surname?” he wondered aloud. 

 

“Oh, that one’s easy,” Lance stood and went around to type into the computer.

 

Keith squinted at the small letters. “McClain? Why that?”

 

“Just trust me on this,” Lance smiled, looked strangely sheepish, and Keith considered questioning him further, but decided to give up, figuring he  _ was _ the expert on false identities after all.

 

“We’re making a passport,” the boy called suddenly. It took him only a few seconds to process he wasn’t talking to Keith, another to raise his guard up and another to slump back into his seat in defeat when he heard the voice.

 

“I can see that,” his brother said easily, but there was something in his tone that set his hairs on end. “Can I speak to Keith for a second? Alone”

 

Shiro. He’d almost forgotten about him, amidst the chaos that had been his morning. And now there he was, a few hours after the whole attempted escape fiasco and the anger was starting to settle in once more. Lance turned to look at him again, and his heart ached at how serious he looked. He was asking if Keith was okay with it, reassuring that he had his back. Keith was tempted to say no for a moment, curious as to what would go down between the robbers, but it was bound to happen sooner or later.

 

So he nodded, smiling for another second at the final kiss placed on his neck and bracing himself for whatever conversation was about to happen.

 

“What name are you putting in?”

 

Of course, he would start with a little small talk, an attempt to make the situation a little less awkward, a bit more normal. But he really didn’t know how normal it could get considering their… unique circumstance. With what the abandonment and the rediscovery and the heist and the betrayal of trust and all that.

 

“I don’t know yet,” Keith confessed, leaning back a little on his chair as Shiro leaned against the desk beside him. “Picking a name for yourself is still as surprisingly hard as I remember”

 

Could that be qualified as small talk? Apparently so, because it made Shiro laugh. “Yeah. The first time I did it, Lance kept insisting on Chris”

 

“Oh God, you too?” Keith raised his eyebrows a little, smiling up at his brother. “What’s his deal?”

 

“I think he just really likes Captain America”

 

That made him laugh. “That would totally suit you. I don’t know about me, though”

 

“Yeah…” oh no. Hanging sentence. It was serious talk time now. “I came here to ask if you know what you’re doing”

 

That was a lot more straightforward than he thought it would go, but it was better than the avoidance he’d expected. 

 

“What do you mean?” Keith knew exactly what he meant, but he wanted to hear the exact concerns about his safety.

 

“Look, you’re pregnant,” Shiro sighed, hand up as if trying to appease the anger he knew was coming. “And I know you like Lance, but I don’t think coming with us would be the best idea”

 

“And what do you suggest?” Keith crossed his arms, raising his head a little in defiance. “Going back to my life?”

 

“Yes”

 

“Back to being a secretary”

 

“Yes?” Shiro looked hesitant now. Good.

 

“With Ian”

 

“Ye-,”  _ ha _ . Shiro looked at him pointedly. Would you look at that. They weren’t blood-related, but for a second Keith could see the exact expression in the mirror. That must’ve been where he got it from. “Keith, please. You know what I mean”

 

“You want me to go out and carry on with my life,” Keith started counting out the things just to see Shiro squirm. “Back to my shitty apartment-

 

“Keith-”

 

“-my shitty job… back to having an affair with my boss and see how that turns out after I have the baby. Out to get harassed-”

 

“ _ Keith _ ”

 

“-by the press and make a couple hundred talking about how the boss you apparently like for me so much threatened me into his escape plan by pointing a gun at my fucking face-”

 

“Keith!”

 

“ _ What _ ?”

 

They were both breathing hard and Shiro looked pissed the  _ hell _ off. He leaned in then, hovering over Keith like a shadow.

 

“ _ Threatened _ you into his escape plan,” he said slowly. “Keith, why would he have to threaten you? We’ve held you hostage for days. You’ve been sleeping on the floor and Lance  _ shot _ you. Why won’t you go? How can coming with us possibly be any better?”

 

Keith looked down, not wanting to meet Shiro’s eyes. “Because I don’t want to be alone”

 

“Why would you say that?” Shiro kneeled on the ground then, forcing Keith to look at him. And he must’ve looked pitiful, because a second was enough for his brother’s eyes to turn from irritated to soft. “You have a life here. You must have… friends or… “ but when Keith just continued to look at him he seemed to get it, that Shiro was the only one there’d been for company and he’d never recovered. Even through his guilt, his brother still had a little fight left in him. “But the baby-”

 

“Will be  _ fine _ . As long as it’s inside me, at least,” Keith finished, trying to make a joke and look reassuring at the same time. “As I’m sure you’ve realized by now: I’m tough to kill,” that got a small laugh out of him. “And until they get sick of me in 9 months… he’ll have the most annoyingly protective uncle to keep us safe”

 

Shiro eyes widened, expression unreadable and completely still for a few seconds. But emotion was always the right call, and right before the nerves started creeping back in, his brother smiled, nodding slowly like his head had suddenly become too heavy for his body, a happiness in his eyes that Keith couldn’t help but smile with him.

 

“Are you sure?” he asked one last time, eyes almost pleading.

 

Keith nodded, and as soon as he did it seemed like all of the tension vanished between them, Shiro’s head finally dropping to rest against his leg as his hand still clutched at his knee, needing the support. 

 

“I’ve missed you,” he confessed against the fabric of the red jumpsuit. His face looked pained, probably trying to fight the guilt for letting him stay. “Every day, Keith”

 

Keith smiled, remembering how Lance had said the same thing when he’d asked him to stay.

 

“You won’t have to anymore”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	12. Last Day

Lance introduced him to the so-called professor the day later.

 

It was the last thing he’d imagined when he’d pictured the man on the outside, but it was heartwarming to see him greeting the robbers as a father would his kids after a long trip. They were all ready and waiting for him long before he’d climbed out of the tunnel, and when he finally stepped into the factory, they all hugged and some cried as they embraced, relief tangible in the air.

 

Even if he wasn’t a part of the heist in the beginning, it felt strangely cathartic to see the redhead greeting them, a strange feeling of pride settling in his chest for them all.

 

Besides all of the problems that had arisen, it was a damn near perfect heist.

 

When it was Lance’s turn to say hi, eyes wet and relieved as he clutched at the mustached man, he really felt as if he was finally ‘meeting the family’, feeling strangely shy as he was presented before the man. Keith almost expected to be given the _if you ever hurt him_ talk.

 

“This is Keith,” the boy beamed at him proudly as they shook hands. “He’s the one with the phone. You can call him Red”

 

Red. They hadn’t really discussed codenames, but it felt appropriate.

 

“I have to say,” the man chuckled. “You’ve been quite the troublemaker, young man”

 

Keith smiled back. “Just trying to stay alive, sir”

 

“Yeah,” Lance pulled him into a side hug as they dropped their hands. “If you thought a guy in a Dali mask with a gun was scary, you should try dealing with a pregnant man yelling at you to shoot him”

 

“I think the gun is scarier,” the Professor nodded thoughtfully.

 

“That’s because you haven’t dealt with this guy,” Lance’s voice was so serious, it made the man actually reconsider, turning to him with a new stance.

 

“I’m terribly sorry for your inconveniences,” the Professor actually bowed slightly, and Keith didn’t know what he was supposed to answer to that. “It was an unfortunate mistake, and there have been consequences for the ones responsible for it. I can assure you, if you should choose to continue with us we’ll do our very best to keep you and your baby safe”

 

“I can assure you, sir,” Shiro cut in, the words accompanied by a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “He’s a force to be reckoned with. I’m sure the only ones who’ll need protection are the ones who get in his way”

 

“Very well,” and with that and a final nod, the Professor left with Boss, the latter shooting them a bitter smirk as they disappeared, probably to coordinate the final details of their escape. The others left after them too, Shiro being the last to follow after leaving a small kiss on his head and a final squeeze to Lance’s shoulder. They watched him walk away together, letting the silence settle comfortably between them.

 

It wasn’t long before Lance cracked a joke, of course.

 

“Wasn’t he the one desperate for you to live a boring life for your safety?”

 

Keith couldn’t help but laugh. “And now he’s ushering me to grab a gun and go crazy. Who would’ve known?”

 

“Brings a whole new relevance to the phrase _brothers in crime_ , doesn’t it?” Keith nudged into him, making Lance stumble a little as he shook with laughter.

 

But then he was walking back in front of him, eyes serious all of a sudden. “Hey,” and Keith knew that voice. He sighed deeply at what he knew was coming as Lance held his hands carefully between them.

 

“We’re getting out soon,” he sighed, looking down at their hands intensely. “And I… I know it’s been fast. This situation is crazy, and you… you should’ve never got caught in the crossfire,” what was he getting to? Had he changed his mind about going out together?

 

Oh, how wrong he was to think that.

 

“Everything about this is crazy,” Lance repeated, finally looking up to look into his eyes with the fiery determination of an army. “But I love you, Keith. And as much as it suits you, when we get out of here you’ll no longer be wearing red but _white_ … absolutely beautiful anywhere we choose to be”

 

Lance slumped forward, arms holding him closely, like he’d disappear as soon as the words had finished coming out of his mouth. As if Keith hadn’t told him a thousand times, through words and actions, that this was it.

 

“This is your last chance, Keith,” Lance muttered into his shoulder.

 

And Keith knew. It was truly amazing how free he felt confined to the factory, tethered to the ground they’d built together. _Last chance_ , he’d said, but there really wasn’t another option. Now or never…

 

What if he wanted to choose forever?

 

So he forced Lance’s eyes on him, holding onto his face steadily as those blue eyes blinked hopefully.

 

“I’m going out with you. Through the back or through the tunnel, surrounded by bullets or dirt. It _doesn’t matter_ …” Lance smiled then, but there was still a final thing he needed to ask him.

 

_No longer wearing red but white…_ It was too fast. So fast but… what did they have to lose?

 

“I’m yours. And this kid… he’s going to need a real name. We’re yours, so tell me before we go”

 

_Before we risk our lives_ , was what he meant but didn’t have to say. Before they left the safety the factory had given them. It was weird, but it felt more like a home than his apartment had ever felt.

 

And Lance held onto him right back, hands warm where they belonged on his skin, pulling him in until they were cheek to cheek.

 

And Keith should’ve known. He should’ve realized sheepish wasn’t his style, and there was something more to everything Lance said. _Just trust me on this_ , he’d smiled when Keith complained about the name.

 

It was ridiculous, probably dangerous considering they were fugitives. But it was _them_. And it was perfect, too, when it was whispered into his ear.

 

“It’s McClain”

 

Of course it was.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Two hours later, as Keith was helping move bags full of money, there was a second explosion, followed by the sounds of gunfire and screaming from the hostages that had chosen the million dollars. The shocked expressions on the robbers’ faces could only mean one thing.

 

The police were barging in.

 

Before leaving him and the other hostages to do the work, Lance had told him to stay put if anything were to happen, to follow through with the plan without looking back and running out the tunnel, to wait for him only when he was safe on the hangar on the other side. And Keith knew the plan, and he knew Lance could handle himself just fine, that even if he didn’t, Shiro and the other robbers had his back anyway.

 

But the moment Keith heard the panicked yelling, as he saw the robbers panicked voices and suddenly shaky hands, he took the plan and decided to throw it out the window, dropping the bag of money to run after Lance like his heart demanded him to.

 

By now, counterintuitive actions had become completely natural, and he didn’t feel a single shred of fear running towards the sounds of danger, breathing in the stench of smoke like perfume. He didn’t know if he could be any help, or in what state he’d be coming out, if he even got to get out. The only thing he knew was that he was done feeling helpless, that he couldn’t bear to stand around and let everyone take care of him if he _was_ going to go out through that tunnel with Lance.

 

So when he found Lance and Shiro taking cover behind shelves on a storage room and saw the green laser points flickering all over the wall as bullets rained on him, his eyes immediately zeroed in on his brother’s bleeding arm, face twisted in pain above it setting off a million alarms in his mind.

 

They looked as panicked as the other robbers were, bulletproof vests tight on their chests as the boy tried to keep pressure on the wound and keep the police back at the same time. His eyes tracked automatically to the machine-gun lying on the floor just out of reach, knowing what he had to do. Lance noticed him standing there a second too late, and before he could yell at him to back away, he’d already made his choice.

 

After all, he’d been shot before.

 

The second the guns stalled as the police recharged, Keith dove for the gun, turning it like an accusatory finger and pulling the trigger for dear life at the shielded policemen. He’d never properly held a gun in his life, but the feeling of it between his hands was amazing, an appropriate filter for the adrenaline swirling inside. This was why he’d ran back here after all, to protect those he loved. And as Lance stood up to shoot beside him, he felt so powerful, like he was a part of something for once in his life.

 

And then Lance was grabbing his hand and running, and even with cops chasing after them, he didn’t think for a second to look back, hearing his brother’s footsteps right behind them, watching their backs. He didn’t look back even as they passed by the vault he’d loved in for days or climbed down the stairs he’d bled all over, not even as they came up in a cloud of dirt out the other side of the tunnel, surrounded by barrels being quickly filled with bags of money. There was no time to linger on the room around as clothes were thrown in their direction and they began to change, not a second to spare even at the loud explosion that buried the tunnel.

 

It happened so fast.

 

The bar had been jumped, the bridge crossed and burned behind him, and everything he’d been disappeared as he shed the red jumpsuit like a second skin, letting the new him settle into his bones.

 

It felt natural. Like coming back home.

 

And following his brother out into the street pushing a stroller filled with thousands of dollars next to the robber who shot him was the last way he expected to walk out of a heist. Hell, he never even expected to escape the one he’d been in, and before he’d never imagined he’d ever actually end up in one.

 

But he did. And as strange as it was, he felt thankful, walked down the street with his head held high, smiling from so much relief he felt like his face would fall off. Keith had no idea where they were going or how they would get there, but he smiled, and he could hear police sirens in the far distance. They were getting closer by the second, probably violating every traffic rule to try and catch them before they disappeared into thin air. And still, he smiled.

 

Because with Lance’s arm around him, a hand fitted so warmly on his hip as they walked like it _belonged_ there, he couldn’t find it in himself to care.

 

Looking at his lover, they laughed together, like children getting away with the biggest mischief.

 

Looking up, he saw his brother, not letting even a gunshot wound slow him down, walking with determination as he guided them.

 

Looking ahead, he wondered how only days before he’d had nothing, and now he felt like he had everything.

 

And that’s how he stayed.

 

Looking forward, because that’s where his family would take him.

 

 

* * *

  
  


They got him at the airport.

 

He should’ve questioned the fairytale, shouldn’t have fallen for the lie.

 

Keith hadn’t questioned the plan, trusting it to follow through, but someone on the way to or in the terminal must’ve recognized one of them through the sunglasses and painted hair.

 

It was awful because he was the only one they got, the last that was meant to get on the plane. He’d told Lance and Shiro to go ahead when they heard the call for the passengers over the speakers, wanting to go to the bathroom quickly before take-off, slightly claustrophobic of the tiny stalls he knew the airplane offered.

 

Everything had gone perfectly, and he’d walked down the long hall almost giddy, thinking of all the movies he wanted to watch on the plane, excited for being on the air for the first time. But just as he’d stretched his arm to offer the boarding pass to the kind lady at the door, something jerked him backwards.

 

_No_ , Keith thought, needing it to go on. _Just a little further…_

 

He tried shaking off the grip but it was strong, strong like-

 

No… that was impossible.

 

But when he turned there he was, grip tightening on his arm like a predator sinking his teeth further into their catch, smirking at their helpless prey. It was fucking _Ian_ , holding him back like he’d always done, trying to drag him down with him, blood still matting his hair from Keith swinging at it like a baseball. He couldn’t move, couldn’t do anything but stand there wishing for anything else but _him_.

 

And then the sounds of his dismay had started: doors sliding shut, engines starting up and the distinct sound of the plane wheeling down the runway.

 

It was as simple as that, machine running down the track and flying off, taking all of his hopes and dreams with it. He felt helpless, couldn’t do anything but fall to the floor and scream, crying out all of his frustrations. It was cruel that the world had given him a taste of happiness only for it to be snatched away, but he should’ve seen it coming. Nothing good in his life lasted after all.

 

Ever since he’d found his brother at the factory, he’d been waiting for it, bracing for the impact of losing him again. But he’d never expected it of Lance, hadn’t braced for that particular impact. And it hurt. It hurt so bad to lose his family and his lover at the same time. It hurt more than-

 

Keith woke up with a gasp.

 

Nightmares had always been something that plagued his nights, so it was no wonder that they followed him to the ends of the world.

 

Blinking up at the ceiling, he breathed a sigh of relief, starting to become aware of his surroundings slowly as he sat up with a little difficulty. The fan was turning lazily above him, breeze fluttering the curtains to reveal small fringes of sun starting to come up, the smell of the sea as comforting as the blankets pooling around his waist, or well, what had _been_ his waist now that his baby rested there. And he didn’t have to turn his head to know Lance was sleeping next to him, the weight of his arm on Keith’s legs enough, but he did anyways, knowing seeing his lover would calm him down faster.

 

Lance must’ve developed some sort of sixth sense, because his hand started moving up to settle over his bump, eyes already open when Keith did turn, smiling at the crack of dawn as was according to his personality.

 

“Baby keeping you up?”

 

“He sleeps like a rock,” Keith rubbed at his eyes a little, hand coming up intertwine with Lance’s to ground himself on reality. “Nightmare,” he clarified, but quickly shook his head at his worry. “Just a stupid one, don’t worry about it”

 

“You’re right here with me,” Lance sat up then, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek before standing up. “Give me a second”

 

As the boy went to what he assumed was the bathroom, Keith let gravity pull him back down onto the softest sheets, thinking about how he was lying on the biggest bed, living on the island they’d bought.

 

It was unreal how easily they’d escaped, flying away on a private jet never to see the fabric or anyone in it again. Life had become everything he’d ever dreamed of as an outcome to something he had expected to kill him, a quiet existence he hadn’t thought possible next to a family he’d never thought he’d find. And yet, there he was, baby shifting awake in his belly as the boy he loved crawled up the bed, looking at him like he was made of gold.  

 

Paradise was truly real.

 

As Keith went back up on his elbows, he laughed as Lance pushed his leg back, leaning down to press a kiss to the little star of a scar high up on his thigh, the thing that had started it all. He had the same look in his eyes he’d had the first time he’d said _I’m sorry_ , but it settled back into a familiar _I love you_ as he nuzzled against his belly.

 

Feeling the kicks start up, he groaned a little. “You woke him up”

 

“Go back to sleep, baby girl,” Lance whispered seriously. “Daddy’s tired”

 

“Baby boy,” Keith protested.

 

“How would you know, father of our child?”

 

Keith rolled his eyes, turning back onto his side to settle back to sleep as Lance climbed the rest of the way up, shifting their body’s to fit perfectly together.

 

“I was thinking Angela,” Lance whispered, playing with his fingers. “Or Maria. Cause she’s our little miracle”

 

“Boy names, Lance,” but his heart still melted at his words. “What do you think about Nico?”

 

“I absolutely love it,” he paused.

 

Had Lance finally agreed with him? Or…

 

“But?” Keith asked suspiciously.

 

“But it’s gonna be a girl, so…” he elbowed the boy playfully, and they settled into a comfortable silence again, enjoying the quiet morning.

 

Keith was almost asleep again when Lance was suddenly rolling him on his back again, leaning over him and smiling.

 

“What?” he watched curiously as the boy pulled at his hand, eyes shutting happily when Lance started to kiss at his palm, sensitive skin tickling at the soft pressure of his lips. He was about to protest when he felt something slip on his finger.

 

His ring finger.

 

_Not wearing red, but white… absolutely beautiful anywhere we choose to be._

 

Keith opened his eyes, and he couldn’t think of a single thing to say at the golden ring fitted perfectly on his finger, Lance’s hand entangled with his own making it shine perfectly. He already had Lance’s name, and Lance was his baby’s father no matter what any paternity test dared to say, and they were already living together…

 

And there really was nothing to say.

 

So he just smiled, lied back on his side and melted into his fiancès arms as they wrapped around him once more, pressing their joined hands to his bump, holding his family close. Keith smiled, knowing that even the most horrible dream couldn’t take his new life away from him: his brother less than an hour away and his lover at his side.

 

Thinking about Lance’s promise that last day, Keith closed his eyes and slept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and that’s that! 
> 
> thank you all for reading and for your kind comments

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading ! 
> 
> Have a wonderful day !


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